Why do older ladies get brown face marks?

[Guest Posts]

They look awful how can I treat my skin to get rid of them.
My face feels dirty.Help please.
I have had them for some time.
I am in my 80s.
Thank you. G

[Julie Van Onselen]

Dear G
Thank you for your questions. Theses brown marks on your face are most likely to be solar lentigos, which are sun-induced lesions, most prominent on the face, forearms and dorsal aspects of the hands
Solar lentigos are flat, uniformly brown and can be quite large. They are caused by sun exposure over the years. It is never too late to use sun protection, which may help prevent new solar lentils from forming (the problem is these brown marks come along when you are older, and a consequence of sun damage in younger years / accumulative over the years. Please do consider using a SPF 50 every day and on sunny days a hat, which will help. If you have any larger darker expanding patches, please do ask your GP/health care professional to check, as there is a risk of skin cancer for any changing lesion in adult years.
I hope this helps.

[Dr Catherine O'Leary]

Hello G

I just wanted to add something about the way the brown marks on your face make you feel. I'm a clinical psychologist with psoriasis and I can relate to how you feel when you say your face feels dirty. I often feel that way about my skin. But as a psychologist, I can see that it's just my self-critical thinking and not very helpful to me at all. It's not great for my confidence or self-esteem and means that sometimes I avoid activities.

There's several things I do to help with this. First, I remind myself that people are generally more focused on themselves than me. In psychology, it's recognised that people tend to overestimate how much attention others pay to them and their imperfections. Psychologists call this phenomenon the 'spotlight effect'; it's as if we all go around imagining there's a spotlight on us. So if everyone is imagining they're in the spotlight, then who's doing all the looking and judging? Knowing that people aren't paying so much attention and aren't noticing my skin reassures me.

Second, when I notice self-critical thoughts, I try instead to be more kind and compassionate to myself. I think about how I would speak to someone I loved and how I would support them when they felt badly about their appearance. So instead, I try to notice the things I like about myself. I remind myself of the things my family and friends love about me. I work on accepting myself the way I am, psoriasis and all. It isn't easy but I work hard at self-acceptance. I wonder whether that might help you feel better about yourself too.

Hope that helps.

Catherine