Don't you love summer? The bright sunny weather makes it the best time of year for many people. With the warmth of the sunshine basking on our skin, there's a reason why the best summer activities occur when the sun is out. As much as we'd like to go out during this season, however, our bodies have a complicated relationship with the sun.
Tan lines are brilliant in the summer, but studies show that too much sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer and premature aging. The sun's UV rays can cause damage to the skin, especially on the face and body. The cute freckles and tan lines you develop from sunbathing aren't natural. Dermatologists believe that UV overexposure creates tans, freckles, and sun damaged skin.
As the summer season reaches its peak, you might be curious about what helps your sun damaged skin. The good news is that you can reverse the damage with the skin treatments at Beauty Med, along with various home remedies for a sun damaged face. Let's check out how to fix sun damaged skin on your face and body:
1. Sunscreen for sun damaged skin
Technically, sunscreens cannot fix the sun-damaged skin on the face and body. Instead, they function to protect the UV rays absorbed by sunlight. Exposing yourself directly to sunlight can trigger side effects from treatments, causing further skin damage. By using a sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, it can slow down the adverse effects of UV radiation on your skin.
Don't reserve sunscreen only for the summer. Even in the winter season, your skin still demands protection from the sun's rays. Consult a skin care professional to determine the right sunscreen to match your treatment. And if you have darker skin, consider options that won't leave gray casts on your skin.
2. Niacinamide for sun damaged skin
How badly can sun overexposure harm the skin on your face and body? Sometimes, you get wrinkles. At other times, you get dark spots all over your face. Hyperpigmentation leaves your skin tone uneven and blotchy. The UV rays trigger an excessive supply of melanin, which forms random deposits around the body.
Thankfully, it's possible to treat this condition and get the unblemished skin of your summer dreams. Niacinamide is often used to fix hyperpigmentation. This is a vitamin B variant, which helps the skin to keep moisture and block excess pigment supply.
3. Anti-aging cream for sun damaged skin
While most people love the idea of looking and staying young forever, there's only so much they can do to slow down time. As humans grow older, wrinkles naturally appear. When you have sun damaged skin, the visibility of these wrinkles will become prominent, making the signs of aging more obvious.
Exposure to direct sunlight speeds up aging and damages the skin. To fix this, anti-aging creams and retinoids are recommended. Retinol helps to fade out sunspots, while vitamin C serums contain antioxidants that block the impact of free radicals in the skin cells.
4. Light therapy for sun damaged skin
Beyond hyperpigmentation and wrinkles, sun damage can also cause freckles and skin irritation. To select the ideal treatment, an esthetician must identify your current skin condition and signs of sun damage. For the best results, some experts recommend specific treatments coupled with skincare products.
Laser IPL therapy uses a laser technique to strip layers of the skin. Since harmful UV rays affect the skin's top layer, exfoliating the dead cells can reverse the sun damage. The laser's rays remove older, damaged skin cells to reveal the healthier cells underneath.
5. Chemical peels for sun damaged skin
Like laser resurfacing, chemical peels also exfoliate dead skin cells. However, this technique uses chemical substances instead of laser beams. Depending on the level of damage, you'll find different chemical peels to suit your needs. Mild peels use chemicals like alpha hydroxy acid to remove the outermost layers of the skin on your face and body.
For more intense conditions, deeper peels use phenol or glycolic acid to penetrate the middle layer of the skin cells. The effectiveness of this treatment varies depending on your skin type, with some people noticing visibly improved results after a chemical peel.
6. Exfoliation for sun damaged skin
If you aren't excited about laser therapy or chemical peels, there are still many other treatments for sun damaged skin. Any of the exfoliation techniques can also peel off those layers of damaged skin cells. Exfoliation may occur as part of a skin rejuvenation treatment, or it can be done at the comfort of your home. Some exfoliation products contain very similar ingredients to the chemicals used in the facial peels.
7. Microneedling for sun damaged skin
To repair your sun damaged skin, microneedling is an increasingly popular solution. This treatment uses tiny needles to prick the skin, which stimulates collagen and elastin production. Microneedling is designed to remove the free radicals that cause freckles and redness on your skin.
During the treatment, you might wince a little. However, the slight injuries help your body to produce collagen that smoothens deep lines and reverses sun damage. The treatment also slows down aging and treats hyperpigmentation.