Why do people get age spots? Can applying ginger and vitamin E remove age spots? increased knowledge
"Doctor, I'm only 27 years old this year. How could I have age spots? Have you misdiagnosed?"
Xiao Zhao recently looked in the mirror and suddenly found a few hazel spots on his face, which were not faded after using all kinds of freckle creams. age spots".
"Although it is called senile plaques, it is not only the elderly that grow . Now more and more girls in their 20s and 30s have similar conditions." The doctor explained patiently.
Obviously "age spots", why do they appear on girls under 30? Is there any way to prevent or eliminate it?
1. "Age spots" are not the exclusive sign of the elderly
"Age spots" sounds like only the elderly will grow, but in recent years, more and more young people have begun to grow age spots.
Yang Shuxia, chief physician of the Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, said that every week, 1-2 young people come to see a doctor for senile plaques, many of them in their twenties, and the youngest are only in their teens . Why do young people start getting age spots too?
Age spots, medically known as seborrheic keratosis, generally occur in the elderly. But in recent years, age spots have a tendency to be younger, especially for people under the age of 40 .
Age spots generally appear on the face, neck, and back, especially the upper back and extremities. Most of them appear as dark patches with clear boundaries. Depending on the stage of development, some of them can also bulge on the skin surface.
In general, age spots are about 1 cm in size, but can be larger than 5 cm in diameter if the onset is prolonged and untreated.
The reasons for the formation of age spots are mainly related to heredity, sun exposure and lifestyle.
Genetics : If parents or blood relatives have early senile plaques or grow more, then children or descendants are more likely to have senile plaques;
Sun exposure : Sun exposure may promote the formation of age spots, and areas with more sun exposure have a higher chance of developing age spots;
Bad habits : such as irregular diet, high stress, poor sleep, etc., will also accelerate the production of age spots.
2. Can applying ginger and vitamin E remove age spots?
There are some folk sayings, such as "Applying ginger can lighten age spots", "Applying vitamin E to remove age spots", etc. Is this method really feasible?
First of all, although the flavonoids contained in ginger can effectively fight free radicals and thus help to delay skin aging, this is limited to theoretical and experimental data.
In clinical medicine, there are no clinical examples that can confirm that direct application of ginger can remove age spots . On the contrary, in many cases, the application of ginger caused irritation such as skin redness and swelling, and even left post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
As for vitamin E, although it is an antioxidant. However, skin aging is the result of the combined action of a variety of complex factors. The effect of vitamin E alone is very limited , and it is even more ineffective for age spots that have already formed.
The real and effective ways to get rid of age spots are actually the following. Don't believe in some remedies, which may backfire.
1. Electrocautery or laser therapy
The most common treatment method for senile plaques is photoelectric therapy, which uses thermal effects to vaporize and necrotic the diseased epidermis, and then expose the normal skin tissue below, and then just wait for new epidermis to grow.
However, the effect of this treatment method is linked to the doctor's technique. If the treatment is too deep due to improper technique, pigmentation or scarring may occur.
2. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy refers to freezing the affected area of senile plaques with liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C, which can cause irreversible damage to normal cells.
Because seborrheic keratosis is located on the superficial layer of the skin and does not involve deep tissue, a short-term cryotherapy can just limit the frostbite to the affected area, but a painful blister will form after treatment , which may temporarily affect the appearance. .
3. Drug treatment
If senile plaques occur in a large area, doctors may consider topical compound vitamin A cream, or oral acitretin and other drug treatments for comprehensive treatment. At this time, patients need to pay attention to sun protection and eat less greasy food .
In addition, Chen Wenjing, chief physician of the Department of Dermatology, Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University , reminded that although the degree of malignancy of senile plaques is relatively low, if senile plaques suddenly increase rapidly in a short period of time, one should be alert to the possibility of malignant tumors , and should go to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.
3. Why don't some people grow old age spots when they get older?
Under normal circumstances, age spots are common in the elderly around 60 years old. They will have age spots more or less, but why do some people not grow?
Ma Guansheng, a professor at Peking University School of Public Health, said that the formation of senile plaques is due to the excessive oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids contained in human cell membranes by human metabolite free radicals to further generate lipid peroxides and their decomposition products, which are then combined with phospholipids. Proteins react to form lipofuscin pigment deposits in skin cells and sweat gland cells .
Therefore, the key to preventing senile plaques is to remove free radicals in time, and supplement antioxidant substances through diet. If you don’t want to grow senile plaques, you may wish to supplement these 3 foods every day:
1. Foods rich in vitamin E
Vitamin E can prevent unsaturated fatty acids from producing lipofuscin pigment, and has certain antioxidant, anti-aging and cosmetic effects.
Green vegetables, grains, nuts, and oilseeds are all good food sources of vitamin E. The recommended intake of vitamin E for normal adults is 100-200 mg/day.
2. Foods rich in trace elements
In addition to vitamin E, trace elements such as selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese are also antioxidant substances. You can supplement trace elements by eating more foods such as walnuts, black sesame seeds, and lotus seeds .
Among them, the recommended intake of selenium for adults is 60 micrograms/day, zinc is 12-15 mg/day, copper is 1-1.6 mg/day, and manganese is 4.5 mg/day.
3. Foods rich in antioxidants
Vitamin C and beta-carotene are also classic antioxidants. You can eat more dark vegetables and fruits every day, including dark green vegetables such as mustard and amaranth, red and yellow vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, citrus, kiwi, fresh Jujube and other fruits .
Among them, the recommended intake of vitamin C for adults is 300-600 mg/day, and beta-carotene is 10-15 mg/day.
In addition, if you want to prevent or slow down age spots, you should always do sunscreen. It is recommended to use sunscreens, sun hats, etc. for physical sun protection while applying sunscreen . In addition, it is necessary to work and rest regularly, and change bad habits such as staying up late, smoking, and greasy diet.
Age spots are not only for the elderly, but also for young people. To prevent age spots, you should start from a young age, do a full range of sun protection, avoid UV damage, and at the same time develop a healthy lifestyle, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement antioxidants, don’t stay up late, don’t smoke, and eat less greasy food.
References:
[1] " The first batch of post-90s have grown senile plaques! You only guessed 1/3 of the people who stay up late ". Life Times. 2019-05-21
[2] " With you? If you are less than 30 years old but have age spots, is it premature aging? Many people are still making these mistakes ". Popular Science China. 2020-06-17
[3] " Doctor's Suggestion: Eat more of these 3 kinds of food, and you won't grow senile plaques when you are 80 years old ". Family Doctor Online. 2018-03-03
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