The 5 Different Forms of Sun Damage… And What to Do! | Jennifer Moller MS, PA-C

Summer is over and the minutes and hours spent in the sun may have taken their toll on your skin.  What does sun damage look like and how can NBDPS help improve it?
 

1. Rough, sandpaper-like skin

Why it happens: Deep within the skin lies collagen, the substance responsible for smooth, cushiony, plump skin. When skin is exposed to the sun, the sun’s rays damage the collagen, causing your skin to become loose and have a marbled appearance to it.
How to fix it:
Fractional resurfacing lasers are the best tools to treat rough, sun-damaged skin. They create tiny holes in the skin that incite healthy healing, which in turn creates new collagen to diminish the effects of the sun.

2. Light Brown Spots on your cheeks, forehead, and sides of your face

Why it happens: As a means of protecting itself from the sun, your skin produces melanin, which leads to brown spots. Every skin tone has this same response to the sun, but it really comes down to your skin color and how much pigment your skin naturally produces.
How to fix it: While sunspots respond to topical skin brighteners like hydroquinone, using IPL treatments can give a faster result.  In some cases a combination of peels, IPL, and fractional resurfacing are necessary to reverse more stubborn pigment.

3. Loose skin

Why it happens: Just like how the sun can cause your skin to become rough and leather like, it can also cause it to lose its firmness and elasticity. The sun physically weakens and breaks down the elastin fibers in your skin. With poor elasticity, your skin isn’t able to “bounce back”, so it becomes loose, crepey, and sometimes saggy.
How to fix it: How loose your skin is will determine what treatment is best for you. Ultherapy is the known for its effectiveness in lifting and tightening loose skin non-surgically. Resurfacing with non-ablative and ablative lasers can also be useful. If the skin can be pulled more than an inch to achieve your desired result, a surgical option may be best.

4. Red broken capillaries

Why it happens: The sun is the culprit behind broken capillaries and red blotches. While stress, hormones, and rosacea can cause tiny, hard to cover up, red squiggles, the sun can also trigger them to form.  Sun damage to the skin can cause blood vessels to swell, and become dilated, creating red blotchy spots and visible spider veins on the face.
How to fix it: We recommend IPL. It is the best treatment for broken capillaries, however multiple treatments are required, up to 10 treatments at times.

5. Lines and Wrinkles

Why it happens: Sun exposure that surfaces to the skin due to increased free radicals and a loss of elasticity due to sun damage.
How to fix it: If lines and wrinkles are present when you are not making a facial expression, something like microneedling may be what you need. Here is a great photo of the result it can have.

For lines and wrinkles that are a result of constant movement, Botox would be your best choice. For deeply etched lines and wrinkles, the use of fillers plump up the wrinkles, while the lasers create smoother skin by stimulating collagen.
 
Did you know that just 11 minutes of sun exposure does more damage to your skin than your body can repair in one day?! So remember to wear your sunscreen and UVP clothing daily to protect yourself from sun damage, and more importantly to prevent skin cancer!
If you are looking to combat sun damaged skin call our office today! We have all of the “fix it” remedies to help your skin look youthful again.