If you have wrinkles, you don’t need to be told the skin — the body’s protective outer layer — is susceptible to the effects of aging. For older adults, however, intrinsic and extrinsic changes in the skin make it more prone to disease. In fact, a recent study found that 75.7 percent of adults 70 and older have at least one skin condition requiring treatment either at home (43 percent) or by a physician (57 percent). And 39.1 percent have at least three such conditions simultaneously.
Published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), the study categorized the prevalence and types of skin ailments among 552 adults, ages 70 to 93, from the general population in Finland.
Because most study subjects were fair-skinned, the results may not accurately reflect what would be found in the more racially and ethnically diverse older-adult population in the U. S. The study also noted differences in the prevalence of skin diseases between the sexes. The study included 346 women and 206 men. Men had higher proportions of fungal skin infections, and women had more benign tumors.
Nneka Comfere, M.D., a dermatologist with the Mayo Clinic, recommends seeing a dermatologist for a whole-body check. Once you’ve established a baseline with a dermatologist, she recommends monthly self-skin checks.
She says if you get into the habit of regularly looking at your skin, you can notice when there is a change or a new spot “and you can go in to be seen for it.”
The good news is that the eight most common conditions affecting people 70 and older don’t necessarily need medical attention.
1. Seborrheic keratoses (78 percent)
Seborrheic keratoses are noncancerous wart-like growths that often appear on the face, chest, shoulders or back. Typically, they are slightly elevated from the skin surface and appear as waxy brown, black or tan growths. No treatment is necessary, but if a seborrheic keratosis causes irritation, it can be removed by a doctor. Also, see your doctor if you notice suspicious changes in your skin, such as sores or growths that grow rapidly, bleed and don’t heal. These could be signs of skin cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.
2. Lentigo senilis (69 percent)
Older adults, people with fair skin and people who have spent lots of time in the sun are most prone to lentigo senilis, more commonly known as liver spots. They appear as flat tan, brown or black spots, most often on the face, hands, shoulders and arms. It is important, however, for your doctor to distinguish between an age spot and other conditions such as lentigo maligna, a type of skin cancer. Liver spots are harmless and don’t need treatment. In some cases, prescription creams and procedures can remove them or make them less noticeable, according to the Mayo Clinic.
For information on other common skin conditions for people over 70, from AARP, CLICK HERE.
