Basking in the warm glow of the sun can make us feel good and in the short term make us look good, but the truth is, the sun damages the skin. Sun exposure is responsible for most of the visible aging of your skin—far more than all other factors combined. UV rays from the sun are the primary cause of wrinkles, pigmentation, sun spots, reduced skin elasticity, the degradation of skin texture, and many other signs of skin aging
The effects of sun damage take years to manifest themselves. Quite how many years depends on the extent of your sun exposure, your skin tone (paler skins suffer most quickly) and your lifestyle. Eating a healthy diet that is rich in antioxidants slows down the gradual damage within your skin, for example, while smoking accelerates it.
By far the most common sun-induced pigment changes are freckles (solar lentigo). A freckle is caused when the skin’s pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) are damaged, leading to enlargement of the blemish. Larger freckles, also known as age spots, typically appear on the backs of hands, chest, shoulders, arms, and upper back. While age spots are frequently seen in older adults, they are not age-related as their name suggests but a consequence of sun injury.
Overexposure to the sun can also slow down the production of collagen, causing skin to sag and wrinkles to form. The more your skin is exposed to the sun, the more the collagen and elastin in the deeper layers are broken down, giving less support to the underlying muscles as well as the skin’s surface.
So what can you do for your face, your hands and your décolletage, where damage is becoming evident?
Bloom Clinic, Wellington can provide treatments for sun-damage with our aesthetic laser technology from Cutera. Laser Genesis is a breakthrough laser treatment for fine lines and wrinkles that stimulates the skin’s natural collagen, slowing down the signs of aging and sun damage and promoting a healthy, youthful looking complexion. Our Excel V laser is considered to be the definitive treatment for pigment and age spots as it targets the specific spots you want to eliminate. While lasers cannot ‘reverse’ the damage, they can certainly help a great deal, it is a case of damage limitation, and using your new awareness to prevent future damage.
To compliment Bloom’s laser treatments, we recommend a skin care regime that will both prevent and help repair sun-damaged skin. We are stockists of OFRA skincare products and use these as part of our treatments as well as being stockists for Mineral Sunscreens.-from COOLA
If you would like to know more about our treatments for sun damage, contact us today for a free consultation.
