Solar lentigines are discrete, bounded collections of pigment produced by cumulative ultraviolet exposure. Unlike melasma, they are stable and removable.
Localised increase in melanocyte activity and melanin deposition at the dermo-epidermal junction, with clearly defined borders that do not shift with hormonal state.
The distinction from melasma is the single most useful thing to establish. A lentigo has an edge you can trace; melasma has a patterned distribution that fades into surrounding skin. Treating melasma as though it were a lentigo makes it worse.
Border definition, symmetry, distribution across sun-exposed sites, Fitzpatrick type, and whether any lesion looks atypical.
Pigment-selective laser at appropriate wavelength and fluence. Because lentigines are bounded and epidermal, they generally respond in fewer sessions than melasma.
Any pigmented lesion with an irregular border, uneven colour or recent change is examined before it is treated as a sunspot.
Solar lentigines are discrete, bounded collections of pigment produced by cumulative ultraviolet exposure. Unlike melasma, they are stable and removable.
The distinction from melasma is the single most useful thing to establish. A lentigo has an edge you can trace; melasma has a patterned distribution that fades into surrounding skin. Treating melasma as though it were a lentigo makes it worse.
Border definition, symmetry, distribution across sun-exposed sites, Fitzpatrick type, and whether any lesion looks atypical.
Any pigmented lesion with an irregular border, uneven colour or recent change is examined before it is treated as a sunspot.
Every assessment is carried out personally by Dr Sin Yong, Medical Director. 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza.
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