In case you missed it, the sun’s UV rays are the most common cause of premature skin aging, or more commonly, sun damage. It’s one of the most difficult skin conditions to treat.
Not only are UV rays so harmful, but sun damage is often difficult to treat—wrinkles, dark spots, sagging skin, and loss of elasticity are all signs of serious sun damage to your face.
What is sun damage? “Sun damage occurs when the skin is overexposed to the sun’s UV rays,” explains Dr. Michelle Green, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist in New York City.
“UV rays can penetrate the deepest layers of the skin, causing changes to DNA at the cellular level.” Green says UV rays can negatively impact the skin’s aging process and, in some cases, can lead to cancer for a variety of reasons. : From the surface of the skin to deep within the skin.
01. Apply vitamin C daily. “Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight the formation of hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles caused by UV exposure,” explains Green, referring to L-ascorbic acid, the active form of vitamin C. The regenerative properties help speed up the production of collagen and elastin in the skin. As you know, collagen and elastin are largely responsible for keeping your skin looking healthy and youthful. By using vitamin C, you can rejuvenate your complexion and slowly reverse the effects of sun damage, Green says. 02. Don’t be afraid of retinol. Another ingredient that works well for sun-damaged skin? Retinol. “Topical retinoids are considered the gold standard in anti-aging skin care, second only to sunscreen,” says Dr. Adeline Kikam, board-certified dermatologist and founder of @brownkinder. “Topical retinoids are commonly used in skin care to restructure sun-damaged skin, promote skin cell turnover, and combat blemishes and uneven skin tone,” Kikam says.
Skin loses out due to UV radiation-induced degradation. “Prescription retinoids prescribed by dermatologists tend to be more effective and work faster than over-the-counter retinoids, which tend to be less effective and work slower,” she adds.
“However, over-the-counter retinols are great for people with sensitive skin, as prescription retinols can cause more irritation.”
03. Consider adding a chemical peel to your routine. If the term “chemical peel” in relation to your face scares you, we can ease your fears. Chemical acids can actually work wonders for your skin. According to Hope Mitchell, MD, you should add an acid solution (also known as a chemical peel) to your skin care routine, and whether you choose mandelic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or triclosan acetic acid, both can help reverse sun damage. “Chemical peels improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin by using a chemical solution to speed up the skin resurfacing process,” she explains. “Exfoliation can make the new skin underneath appear smoother, reduce dullness, reduce hyperpigmentation, and even reduce fine lines and precancerous lesions. Since you’ll definitely want to add a chemical peel to your routine, keep this in mind when you’re getting one.” While they’re gentle enough to use alone, mixing different chemical peels is generally not a good idea. So if you include more than one in your routine, make sure you use one in the morning and one at night. Also, as Kikam reminds us, it’s always a good idea to do a patch test before applying any product to your entire face.
04. Book an in-office chemical peel. Since there are so many exfoliating acids on the market, and many at-home peels aren’t nearly as strong or effective as in-office peels, Mitchell recommends booking an appointment for a chemical peel if you have visible signs of sun damage.
In fact, think of a peel as an acidic at-home product to the tenth power. That’s because, as Mitchell points out, dermatologists can tailor a peel to a patient’s specific needs, whether that’s suntans, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, or wrinkles.
“This ability makes chemical peels one of the best aesthetic services a skin clinic offers—they achieve the best results,” she says.
05. Consider Dermaplaning: Another treatment that can be performed at home and in the office is dermaplaning. While at-home dermaplaning is very gentle and its primary goal is to improve skin texture by removing hair, in-office dermaplaning goes a step further. That’s because, in practice, dermaplaning is often combined with chemical peel treatments, says aesthetician Edyta Jarosz. “Dermaplaning helps replace sun-damaged skin with new skin growth that better absorbs products for a healthier, more vibrant appearance,” she explains. “When you combine dermaplaning with chemical peels, your results will be improved because your skin will tolerate the peel treatment better.”
06. Book a microdermabrasion appointment (after the summer). Generally speaking, summer is the best time to treat sunburn. After all, this is when most people get out and enjoy nature and all it has to offer. The problem is that in-office chemical peels and other skin-resurfacing treatments, such as microdermabrasion, can make the skin sensitive to the sun and therefore more susceptible to damage. Therefore, Yaros recommends continuing these treatments into the fall. “In the fall, chemical peels and Diamond Glow facials can be a great way to restore and repair summer-damaged skin,” she says, noting that the DiamondGlow facial is a refreshing, rejuvenating facial. “It exfoliates the skin’s surface, removes impurities from the pores, and delivers a targeted serum to the skin. The newest option is the TNS Advanced+Serum, which targets rough wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin to improve skin tone and texture.” Therefore, she says it’s an excellent option for reversing the effects of sun damage.
07. Book an Appointment for Radiofrequency Microneedling Another practical option is radiofrequency microneedling. “Years of sun exposure without sun protection can lead to rough and uneven texture changes, as well as fine lines and wrinkles,” explains Kikam. He notes that radiofrequency microneedling can be used to treat sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles, reshaping and supporting the skin’s healthy texture. Perhaps the reason it’s so effective is because it combines two technologies in one. “Microneedling is a medical procedure that uses short, thin needles to injure the skin in a controlled manner, thereby stimulating the production of collagen and elastin and increasing blood flow,” explains Kikam, noting that it can be used alone or in combination with radiofrequency energy for better results. “Radiofrequency energy, on the other hand, is a nonsurgical method in which insulated needles are inserted into the skin, releasing radiofrequency energy from the needle tip, penetrating deep into the skin, stimulating collagen and tightening the skin. ”
08. Consider taking a shuttle While retinol is the gold standard for at-home anti-aging ingredients, Green says, Fraxel is the in-office “magic eraser” and the gold standard treatment for improving skin tone and texture. “Fraxel is often recommended to patients with sun damage because it combats a variety of skin issues,” she says. “Fraxel works by creating controlled microscopic wounds in the skin using highly concentrated laser pulses. As the skin repairs these wounds, collagen production increases, new skin cells grow, and the sun damage begins to heal. “The tricky thing about sun damage is that you can’t always look at it in a way that makes you think, ‘Damn, I have sun damage.'” In some cases, your skin may look relatively flawless, but then you go to the dermatologist and get tested with UV photography and are shocked by the results. That’s because many signs of sun damage take a while to fully reach the surface of the skin (which can seem confusing because UV rays hit the surface of the skin first, but be patient). How long does it take for a sunburn to become noticeable? “Because UV rays damage skin cells so deeply, sunburn can take years to become noticeable,” Green explains. He notes that visible signs of sunburn include brown spots, wrinkles, and fine lines, as well as loss of skin elasticity and uniform tone or texture. If you notice these signs, there’s nothing to worry about, Green says. Instead, take a deep breath and make sure you know how to repair (and prevent) sunburned skin with the list of at-home and in-office treatments we’ve compiled below.
