There are so many fun outdoor activities in the summer—swimming, hiking, camping, kayaking, just to name a few. Yes, even reading a good book at the beach is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.
So much outdoor time, however, can leave your skin damaged from sun exposure. Of course, wearing sunscreen that is SPF 30 or above can help minimize the appearance of many skin issues, but damage that does occur doesn’t have to be permanent. Professional skincare can be the best place to start reversing it.
How does sun damage show itself? Let’s look at some of the key places where sun damage may start to appear.
Face
Wrinkles
Spending time outside means you may end up squinting in the sun. Eventually, all that squinting can lead to unwanted lines on your forehead and around your eyes. Wearing sunglasses can help, they can only delay the onset of wrinkles. Wrinkles can be treated, however, with dermal filler or Bellafill, which works for up to five years and stimulates natural collagen production in addition to filling in wrinkles.
Dark Spots/Melasma/Unevenness
Melasma is a form of hyperpigmentation that causes grey-brown patches on the skin. This very common condition is affected by about 5 million Americans. The patches on the skin caused by melasma are benign and are thought to be triggered by hormonal changes, UV exposure, and skin irritation.
Hyperpigmentation, or dark spots, can be sun or age spots, freckles, scarring from blemishes, eczema, or psoriasis. UV rays from the sun stimulate melanocytes, which cause hyperpigmentation. You must consistently use sunscreen to ensure that treatment for hyperpigmentation is effective.
Pigmentation can be lightened using Cutera’s Secret RF micro-needling technology by stimulating your body to produce new collagen. A professional, prescription skincare product that can be applied at home is Obagi Nu-Derm. You can also choose to utilize Forever Young BroadBand Light (BBL), a light therapy treatment that reduces the signs of aging with personalized treatments. Try hydrafacial brighteners and chemical peels, which many find enjoyable to receive, in conjunction with your skincare treatments to minimize the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
Laser Genesis heat technology can help reverse uneven skin tone. These quick treatments speed up collagen growth with no down time. With just six treatments over the course of 12–24 weeks, you will see improvement in evenness of skin tone, texture, and diminished pore size.
Freckles
Freckles are caused by the overproduction of melanin pigment, which is a result of UV exposure. Freckles can appear on parts of the body that receive the most sun exposure, such as the face and arms. You can minimize the appearance of freckles by avoiding sunbathing, tanning beds, and spending a lot of time in direct sun—and of course, wearing sunscreen.
You can lighten or even eliminate freckles with as little as one treatment by using the BBL treatment, which stimulates changes in pigmentation and cell regeneration.
Neck
The skin on your neck is thicker than other places, but it is still fragile and frequently is exposed to the elements. People commonly forget to apply creams, moisturizers and sunscreen on the neck. Wrinkles, discoloration and loose, crepey skin easily appear on the neck.
Urban Effects offers neck creams in both our SkinMedica and Alastin product lines that can help with treating aging skin and skin texture. Alastin also can be used in conjunction with SecretRF laser rejuvenation procedure, which uses fractional radio frequency waves to make microneedling even more effective by stimulating collagen production. You will see improvement of fine lines, wrinkles, and other blemishes on the sensitive neck area.
Chest
The skin on your décolleté, while thicker, is also an area where age spots, discoloration, and sagging skin can pop up. This region is best treated with BBL, which stimulates skin cells to promote collagen regeneration. This will result in your skin appearing plumped up, less saggy, more elastic, and more evenly colored.
Hands
They say if you want to know a person’s true age, then look at their hands. This is because the hands show the signs of aging faster than other parts of the body. Your hands receive the most abuse from handwashing, exposure to the elements, and lack of sunscreen application. UV rays can cause age spots, wrinkles, discoloration, and other signs of premature aging on the hands. As you age and lose subcutaneous fat, this can manifest in your hands as loose, wrinkly, crepey skin.
While BBL treatment can help with the appearance of skin on the hands as well as other parts of the body, injectable dermal fillers are another excellent choice. You can choose from two hyaluronic acid fillers, Restylane Silk and Juvederm Volbella XC, both of which increase volume and smooth the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Enjoy your summer, and protect your skin. If you’d like to begin reversing the damage that years of enjoying the sunshine has inevitably caused, contact Urban Effects MedSpa for professional skincare.
