Age Spots on the Lips

Also known as solar lentigines, age spots are an unfortunate part of the aging process. While you may associate age spots with the face, age spots also appear on the lips, creating darkened areas that may be difficult to conceal. Know how to prevent these spots from developing and how to treat them if they do appear.

Significance

Your skin gets its color from melanin pigments, which give the skin a dark brown color. As you age, sun exposure can cause your skin to produce extra melanin, according to the Mayo Clinic. This extra pigment can clump together and the areas of higher concentration appear as dark spots on the lips. As you age, the melanin pigment also may collect as a side effect of aging.

Identification

Age spots on the lips are not necessarily brown---they also can be gray or black, according to the Mayo Clinic. These spots tend to be flat and oval in shape and range in size from slightly freckled to as much as a centimeter wide. Age spots on the lips often are accompanied by other skin complications, including wrinkling, dry skin and thinner skin on the lips.

Prevention

Excess sun exposure can contribute to darkening age spots on the lips, according to the Merck Manual. Wearing a lip sunscreen can protect you from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Remember that lipstick does not protect against the sun---only a lip balm with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher can help, according to "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women."

Treatment

While bleaching creams are often prescribed to treat age spots, these may not be effective when used on the lips because bleaching the area can make it appear significantly lighter than the surrounding lip skin, according to "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women." Also, the risk of ingesting the treatment may present a hazard. Instead, laser treatments may be used to break up the areas of collected pigmentation, which can make the age spots appear more like the surrounding skin, according to The Daily Glow.

Warning

Brown spots on the lips also can be confused with freckles or moles because they are both flat, brown spots, according to The Daily Glow. Freckles or moles can be problematic because these lesions can develop into skin cancer. See your physician if you observe any skin changes, including becoming more darkly pigmented, growing in size or having an irregular border. Your physician may perform a skin biopsy, which involves removing a portion of the skin and testing it for the presence of cancerous cells. If cancer is detected, your physician may recommend removal and other treatments to eradicate skin cancer.