What should you know about a white sun spot?

Sun spots, also called solar lentigines, usually appear as flat tan, brown or darker patches on sun-exposed skin. A white area can instead reflect reduced pigment, skin that has healed after irritation, a superficial scale, or another skin condition. A clinician may examine the surface and surrounding pigment rather than relying on colour alone. Compare the mark with nearby skin and note whether it is smooth, itchy, rough or tender.

Use broad-spectrum sun protection, cover the area when practical, and avoid picking or bleaching the mark. Take a clear photograph in consistent light so you can notice change. Do not apply a peel or lightening product close to the eyes or on broken skin without clinical advice. If the diagnosis is a brown sun spot, options may include chemical peel, IPL photofacial, picosecond laser treatment or cryotherapy, selected after an examination.

Arrange a dermatology review for a new white mark that persists, spreads, develops scale, bleeds, crusts, becomes painful or differs from nearby spots. Seek prompt assessment when a lesion changes quickly or an open area does not heal. Urgency is based on these warning features, not on the fact that a mark appeared after sun exposure.

Could this be pigment loss, surface scale or a different lesion? Does its texture or border need closer examination? Which sun-protection and treatment options suit the area and my skin tone?