Liver spots, or age spots, are small, dark, flat dots that typically appear on regions of the body that get a lot of sun exposure. Common areas are on the skin of the hands, face, shoulders, and chest. Liver spots are also known as age spots, sunspots, and solar lentigines. They are characterized by flat, oval areas of increased pigmentation on the skin that range in color from tan to dark brown. Liver spots are also similar in size to freckles. But, unlike freckles, liver spots will not fade in color over time. While these dark splotches on the skin can sometimes look similar in appearance to melanoma, they are not cancerous and are not harmful. And no, despite the name, liver spots have nothing to do with the liver. While originally, there were thought to be a warning sign for liver problems, we now know they are not correlated. However, recent findings have suggested that liver spots are actually forms of cellular deterioration, which can act as warning signs for your overall health. People of any race, age, and sex can develop these dark spots. However, they are more common in those with the following risk factors: - Having a history of continual sun exposure - Being 40 years or older - Having fair colored skin - Having a history of continual tanning bed use To examine liver spots as a form of cellular deterioration, you must first understand the effects of age on long-lived cells. These are cells that do not get replaced, rather, they are faced with the challenge of needing to recycle and can accumulation waste. As we age, parts of every long-lived cell get worn out and damaged. This is caused by free radicals, oxidants, and other toxins. Eventually, all parts of the cell, especially the mitochondria, begin to fail. Luckily, there are mechanisms in place to repair such damage and recycle failing or dead organelles. This process is called autophagy. Autophagy literally translates to “self eat”, which exactly is what happens in the process. It is a form of evolutionary self-preservation, in which the body removes unnecessary cells and recycles parts of them towards repair and cleaning. This process begins with the engulfing of dead or dying proteins or organelles. Next, these contents are degraded into amino acids and recycled into new proteins. The human body is in a constant state of self-renewal; some researchers estimate that at any given time 1 to 2% of all proteins are being recycled. Autophagy is an incredibly useful process for the human body. But despite this high rate of recycling, there are some things that cannot be recycled. This material cannot be reused, recycled, or destroyed, so what happens to it? The excess waste material, made up of proteins, lipids, and metals, gets compacted together and becomes even more non-digestible. From there, this clump of junk just sits there, wasting valuable space. This junk is also known as lipofuscin. Several studies have already demonstrated this to be true. In tissues samples of areas with liver and other age spots, autophagy was found to be at “significantly lower levels of activity”. This lack of autophagy points to a buildup of lipofuscin causing the cells to lose function. In regards to reducing liver spots by reducing the damaging effects of lipofuscin, researchers have found a promising supplement that will reverse the buildup and return cell function. After rats were fed the natural chemical curcumin for one month, the researchers saw dramatic decreases in the accumulation of lipofuscin.
