Sun damage can be painful when it initially occurs. Over time, it may put you at risk for skin conditions, including a higher risk of cancer. Your skin uses sunlight for Vitamin D. Your body needs Vitamin D for healthy bone formation. However, the ultraviolet light from the sun can cause significant damage to the skin. Finding a balance of minimizing sun exposure while ensuring your body gets enough sunlight for Vitamin D can be challenging.
Our blogs this spring and summer aim to arm you with the right tools and insights into correcting and protecting the skin. While there is no way to reverse sun damage, there are tools to help improve the way your skin looks.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Skin’s Looks
Improving the aesthetic effects of sun damage may mean embracing new treatments. Many people see significant improvement using one or more of these methods. Professional-grade treatments tend to offer the best level of improvement.
Use Medical-Grade Topicals
One of the options for reducing sun damage’s impact is to use medical-grade topicals. These are available in our office or online. Vitamin C serum is an excellent option that works to reduce hyperpigmentation and creates a more youthful, healthy glow. These antioxidants aim to neutralize free radicals in the skin, which cause damage from exposure to chemicals, pollution, and UV radiation. Vitamin C serum also acts as a barrier to prevent a worsening of the damage. Overall a safe and effective treatment, an antioxidant serum is often best for those who have mild to moderate levels of damage.
Another option is the use of retinoids. Derived from Vitamin A, retinoids help to encourage the shedding of damaged and dead skin cells. The process promotes the rebuilding of the skin, creating healthy new skin cells. Retinoids may also help produce collagen, which can improve the impact of wrinkles that sometimes develop with sun damage. Some people also see improvement by reducing the size of pores and lightening hyperpigmentation, or brown and age spots.
Laser Treatments
Laser treatments may help remove the outer layer of damaged skin. This is a non-invasive treatment that uses light energy to help remove the outermost damaged area of the skin. It also stimulates the body’s natural healing process, allowing the immune system to start repairing the skin in the area. Laser treatment can also help stimulate collagen production in the lower levels of the skin. Collagen helps create a plump, natural, and youthful look to the skin.
It may take several applications of laser treatments to improve the skin fully, but most people with mild to more severe forms of sun damage can see excellent cosmetic results within a couple of treatments.
Chemical Peels
A medical-grade chemical peel is another option. It offers a more customized treatment plan to address the damage to your skin, as there are different chemical peels for various skin concerns. The chemical peel works to remove the dead skin cells on the outermost layer of the skin. In doing so, it removes much of the damage to allow the healthier skin under it to come through, creating a more impactful improvement.
Chemical peels can help with mild to more severe sun damage. Through a series of treatments in the office, your skin can begin to restore more of your healthy look. Remember that over-the-counter products are typically not effective because they do not contain the highest level of treatment possible and are not monitored by a dermatology professional.
Work to Prevent Sun Damage Daily
Now is the best time to schedule an appointment, as many of these treatments may cause sensitivity to the sun and are not recommended during the summer months. While these methods for sun damage improvement may be helpful to you, it is always wise to work towards preventing worsening conditions. Daily sun protection is a must, no matter if you are going outdoors for a few minutes or hours. Next month, we’ll discuss ways to prevent sun damage and skin cancer.
If you have sun damage, schedule an appointment with us to find the best way to correct your skin before summer. Don’t ignore your skin any longer. Contact us now to request an appointment and take the next step towards healthy skin.