Also known as solar lentigines, age spots are the oval-shaped lesions that appear on the skin over time. While age spots are caused by the damaging effects of the Sun, the marks themselves are not dangerous. It’s Sun exposure rather than old age that causes them, and because they’re linked to solar damage, they usually appear on exposed parts of the body like the backs of the hands and the tops of bald heads.
However, as our skin ages and becomes thinner and less elastic, pigments can accumulate in small pools near the surface causing these common blemishes.