Most of us believe that when talking about sun damage, you are referring to the damage you are experiencing now. That’s why we always carry sunblock and stay out of the sun as much as we can. But did you know that it does not work like that? Even if you protect yourself from sun damage today, you still have some left over sun damage from when you were younger and care-free.
Address Sun Damage Today!
Thing is, sun damage is not really skin-deep. As a matter of fact, UV radiation modifies the DNA of your skin cells. The result? Discoloration, wrinkles, and even skin cancer. Think of it this way, your skin has some sort of meter in it. Every second you are out in the sun unprotected, your body records it.
Luckily, you can still slow down the damage you have accumulated all these years. Ensuring you have enough sun protection means you will stop additional damage from causing more problems to your skin. Not only that, it will also slow some of the damage you have accumulated over the years. Here is a 4-step treatment on how to recover from sun damage.
- Exfoliate – wait, don’t just exfoliate. Exfoliate correctly. Everybody wants to have bright and soft skin. To achieve this, you should go for chemical exfoliation. The best part about chemical exfoliation is that the process dissolves dead skin cells and won’t just scrub them off. Most buffers and granule cleansers just scrubs the dead skin cells and can result to uneven skin texture. Contact a dermatologist if you are unsure as to what kind of chemical exfoliant you should be using. Choose products that can remove the extra layers of dead skin cells that hold the brown pigments that you have accumulated. Also, don’t forget to ask and follow instructions on how to use the chemical exfoliant.
- Get rid of brown spots – now that you have successfully exfoliated the dead skin cells covering up those ugly brown spots, you will now have to deal with them. A product you might want to use is oftentimes called “skin bleach” but that is a bit misleading. You can think of them as “lighteners” fading the brown pigment. It whitens the brown spots and it actually stops the uneven production of melanin. The production of melanin is a normal reaction by your skin when it tries to fight UV radiation. It is better to exfoliate first before using skin lighteners as the active ingredients in these lighteners become more effective if there are no more dead skin cells blocking them.
- Say no to burnt skin – sunscreen is a no-brainer when it comes to protecting your skin from sun damage. Look for sunscreens that are broad spectrum which means they protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Also, make sure their SPF value is 15 or higher. Another thing you have to remember that sunscreen application is not a “one and done” event. To maximize its effect, make sure you apply sunscreen 15 minutes before you go out and re-apply every 2 hours. Don’t worry about putting too much though, as the problem is when you put too little.
- Get high with Antioxidants – If you want great skin you have to make sure they are healthy. To make sure your skin is healthy, use antioxidant-rich topical creams. These antioxidants not only helps in preventing skin cancer but will also protect the collagen and elastic tissues in your skin from free radicals that are the cause of sagging skin and wrinkles. Ask your dermatologist about the best antioxidant-rich cream for you. You can also get antioxidants from eating food rich in antioxidants.
If you have some traces of sun damage, don’t panic. In case you live in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch or Sarasota – call Arsenault Dermatology today. We will assist you and give you instructions on how you can recover from sun damage.
