Slide show: Sun damage

Damage to darker skin

Melanin is the brown pigment in the top layer of skin (epidermis) that gives skin its color. This pigment protects the deeper layers of skin from sun damage. The more melanin in the skin, the darker the skin appears and the more protection it has against sun damage.

People with medium or dark complexions naturally have more protection than do people with lighter complexions. But they still can experience sun damage. This man's face shows signs of sun damage — increased areas of irregular pigmentation and wrinkles.

Solar lentigines on the forehead

Solar lentigines (len-TIJ-ih-neez) are flat spots of increased pigmentation. They are usually tan, brown or dark brown and darker than freckles. Solar lentigines have oval to round shapes and vary in size. They usually appear on areas most exposed to the sun, such as the scalp, face, hands, arms and upper trunk. Also called liver spots, they are common in older adults. However, solar lentigines can develop in fair-skinned children with heavy sun exposure.

Solar lentigines on the back

Solar lentigines tend to become more numerous with repeated sun exposure and with advancing age. Sometimes they develop in large numbers, as seen on this man's upper back. Solar lentigines are similar to freckles, but freckles tend to fade during colder months.

Labial lentigo

A labial lentigo, also called a labial melanotic macule, is a harmless, small, flat, brown spot on the lip. It can develop after repeated sun exposure. In most cases, labial lentigo forms on the lower lip.

Solar elastosis

Ultraviolet radiation breaks down the connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers — that lies in the deeper layer of the skin (dermis). Without the supportive connective tissue, the skin loses its elastic quality. This condition, known as solar elastosis (e-las-TOE-sis), is characterized by yellowed, thickened skin with deep wrinkles that don't disappear with stretching.

Melasma

Also referred to as "mask of pregnancy," melasma (muh-LAZ-muh) is a brown darkening of facial skin. The dark patches usually occur on the forehead and cheeks. Melasma might be worsened by sun exposure.

Melasma often affects:

• Black, Asian and Hispanic people
• People with darker white or light brown skin
• Women who use birth control pills or hormone therapy
• Women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy

Melasma might fade after delivery, in the winter months or when you stop taking birth control pills. But melasma can also last for years.

Poikiloderma

Irregular areas of reddish-brown pigmentation characterize poikiloderma (POI-kih-loe-DUR-muh). It's most common on the neck and upper chest in chronically sun-exposed areas.

Actinic keratoses

Actinic keratoses (ak-TIN-ik ker-uh-TOE-seez) appear as rough, scaly patches that can range from tan or dark pink to brown. Also called solar keratoses, these patches are commonly found on the sun-exposed areas of people who have light skin. If left untreated, actinic keratoses may progress to a type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.

Lentigo maligna

Lentigo maligna is a type of growth that develops in areas of long-term sun exposure, such as your face, arms or legs. Lentigo maligna starts as a brown flat spot with an irregular shape that slowly gets bigger. Eventually the spot may develop into melanoma, a type of skin cancer that begins in the top layer of skin and then invades the underlying skin layer. See your doctor if you notice:

• A new skin growth
• A change in an existing mole
• Any skin changes that seems unusual