Geriatric Dermatology

At North Texas Dermatology, we treat patients of all ages. We have a special interest in patients 65 and older. Older skin requires care and monitoring for skin cancer – which often manifests itself with advanced age. We treat the following conditions and more:

Brown Spots Dry or Itchy Skin Rosacea

Skin Cancer Skin Growths

Brown Spots

Brown spots, also known as age spots, appear on sun-exposed parts of the body (face, hands, and forearms), usually during the adult years. Most brown spots are just a cosmetic problem, but should be examined by a dermatologist if they increase in size, have irregular borders, scaling, bleeding, itching or multiple colors. Suspicious lesions should be sent for biopsy.

Liquid nitrogen or lasers are most commonly used to remove brown spots. Topical remedies such as bleaching agents, glycolic acid and retinoids may occasionally be used to lighten the color of the spots.

Dry or Itchy Skin

Xerosis, or dry skin, is extremely common in the elderly, because of the loss of sebaceous and sweat-gland activity. Dry skin is characterized by itchy, cracked, scaly skin. It is usually located on the legs, but also on the hands and trunk. If not properly treated, dry skin may lead to eczema, dermatitis, ulcers or infection. A dermatologist may recommend prescription lotions.

To prevent dry skin, use a humidifier, keep temperatures moderate, avoid hot baths, minimize bathing, use mild soap and moisturize immediately after bathing.

Rosacea

Rosacea causes redness, swelling, blushing, flushing, pimples, pustules and englarged blood vessels on the face. It can burn and sting. At first, rosacea may come and go. Later, pimples and enlarged blood vessels appear. Rosacea affects the cheeks, chin, forehead, nose and eyes.

Oral antibiotics produce faster results than topical medications. However, they may take months to show improvement. Gels and creams also take months to improve rosacea. A combination of oral and topical medications is often used to treat inflammation, but it cannot entirely cure the condition. When the condition improves, long-term treatment includes topical medications and good sun protection with daily sunscreen application.

Skin Cancer

Elderly people who once had extensive sun exposure might develop pre-cancerous skin growths and skin cancers. Always consult a dermatologist if you have an enlarging skin growth or a non-healing sore. Depending on the size of the growth, skin cancer or pre-cancerous lesions may be removed by liquid nitrogen or surgical removal.

• Basal cell carcinoma: This is the most common skin cancer. It is slow growing. It appears as a small, shiny pink growth that sometimes bleeds easily.
• Squamous cell carcinoma: This type of skin cancer appears as red, scaly patches or pinkish growths. They can be very large and raised.
• Melanomas: These are less common but may spread quickly if not treated. They usually have irregular borders, color and shapes. Look for recent changes in existing moles or growths.

Skin Growths

The elderly may develop many benign skin growths of different types. These include rough, brownish-black spots (seborrheic keratoses), smooth reddish bumps (cherry angiomas) or yellow bumps (sebaceous hyperplasia).

Benign skin growths do not need treatment but cancerous growths should be removed early to prevent spread to other parts of the body. Consult a dermatologist to see if skin growths are benign or cancerous.