What Can You Do About Sun Damaged Skin?

04 Aug What Can You Do About Sun Damaged Skin?

Who doesn’t love to spend a day in the sun? The feel of the warmth on your face and just hanging out with family and friends is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. The only cloudy spot is that the sun often brings more to your face than just a smile. It can bring age spots, pigmentation changes, wrinkles, and even skin cancer.

Sun + Unprotected Skin = Bad Idea

Who doesn’t hate age spots?  Those icky brown spots that show up in all the wrong places including our hands, necks, faces, or any part of our bodies that receive regular sun exposure. Age spots are typically circular or oval in shape and flat in appearance. Although they don’t hurt you, age spots aren’t pretty and can make you feel self-conscious about other people seeing them and thinking you’re getting “old.”

Other hazards of too much fun in the sun are the crow’s feet that tend to develop around our eyes (did you know that the name “crow’s feet” comes from the imprint shape they leave on the skin?), and wrinkles and “leathery” look that make our skin appear older than we actually are.

Another thing to consider is that while our skin naturally loses fullness over time due to a decrease in collagen production, years of daily sun exposure can intensify the rate at which the skin ages and deplete collagen supplies even more.

Best Defense is Avoidance

By now, we all know the virtues of sunscreen. When used properly, sunscreen can protect us from the harmful rays of the sun, while allowing us to enjoy our outdoor activities worry-free.

Note the key words “when used properly.”

Because although we’re much better at protecting our skin these days, we still don’t always apply – or properly apply – sunscreen.  Add to that the damage leftover from our misspent youth when we didn’t really know or care about sunscreen, and that spells trouble in the form of lines, wrinkles, and discolorations.

There’s a plethora of information regarding sunscreen and its use, so we’re not going to spend a lot of time discussing it.  In short, use broad spectrum sunscreen every day with SPF values of 30 or higher. To maximize its effect, apply 30 minutes before you head out into the sun, and then reapply it at least every two hours.

And if you’re going to be out in the sun for a prolonged time, take our advice and wear a hat and clothing that covers your arms and legs.

So what do you do about it?

If you already have sun-damaged skin, fear not. There are things you can do.

The advanced laser technology used during our Vivid Laser Facials is one of the best treatments available to help brighten, tighten, and resurface the skin. These facials are a painless, cumulative approach to fighting off sun damage, with no down time.

If you are looking for a more intensive correction, we recommend a skin brightening treatment. During this treatment, light penetrates deep into the skin to break up the brown and red pigments that have developed over time as a response to repeated sun exposure, resulting in an even skin tone.  These treatments also “rev up” the body’s natural collagen production enhancing a youthful appearance.

Get out and enjoy the bright, beautiful Florida sun, but be smart about it.  If the damage is already done, contact Vivid Face and we’ll help you get rid of it.

Vivid Face is a pioneer in laser technology and is an affiliate of North Beach Vascular & Aesthetics.