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Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Acne & Skin Concerns > White spots after tanning
Posted on: 06/02/2006
Question
Hi I'm a 19 yr female. I'm worried because every time I get tanned and begin to peel, my face gets to its normal color, however every time I peel I get white spots around the top of my hairline and also get small little dots on the side of my eyebrows. What could this be? Please help!
Answer
Hi! There are several possibilities for your problem. The first is that you have an underlying uneven pigmentation which becomes more prominent when you tan. You can also get a harmless skin infection which can give you white spots, but this is usually more common on the trunk. A dermatologist can diagnose it by scraping a bit of the peeling skin and looking at it under a microscope. You can also be getting sun damage on your skin, which can show up as white spots. Lastly, eczema or seborrhea can present as lighter skin color, but this is usually somewhat itchy. There are several steps you can take prior to seeing a dermatologist. First of all, start using a sunscreen so that you stop peeling, and see if that takes care of the problem. If not, try a seborrhea shampoo to those areas to see whether it goes away. If these do not help, your best bet is to see a dermatologist. Just as an aside, sunburns will increase your chance of getting melanoma, an often deadly form of skin cancer. This is the most common type of cancer seen in women under 30, and I have seen melanoma in teenagers as well. So, please take care of your skin!