Sun-Damaged Skin Treatments

Everybody enjoys spending time outdoors in the sunshine. But too much exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause a number of skin problems and premature ageing.

In 2013, a clinical study of 300 patients revealed that 80% of visible facial ageing is caused by UV exposure.

Fortunately, there are several sun-damaged skin treatments to help you turn back the clock and restore your youthful complexion.

What Is Sun Damage?

Sun damage is caused by unprotected exposure to the sun’s powerful UV rays. This causes several reactions within the body that accelerate the ageing process and cause pigmentation and other skin concerns.

Exposure to UV rays can increase the production of blood vessels, which is why sun-damaged skin can lead to spider veins on the chest and neck. It also accelerates the production of harmful enzymes that break down the collagen and elastin in the skin causing fine lines and wrinkles.

To protect the skin, the body produces more melanin which leads to the darker patches of skin associated with sun damage.

What Does Sun-Damaged Skin Look Like?

Sun-damaged skin can show in many ways. Sun spots on the face and neck a common sign of sun damage. These oval areas of discoloured skin can range in size from a small freckle to an inch in length.

Premature ageing of the skin is another telltale sign of sun-damaged skin. People with lighter skin often suffer from deep wrinkles and fine lines due to overexposure to the sun. The UV rays break down the connecting collagen fibres, causing the skin to sag and for fine lines and wrinkles to appear.

Signs of sun-damaged skin can include:

Freckles
Sun spots on face
Fine lines
Wrinkles
Uneven tone
Thin skin
Textured skin

It can take time for the symptoms of sun-damaged skin to become noticeable. Overexposure in your youth can often start to show as you enter your 30s and 40s.

Is Sun-Damaged Skin Permanent?

No. While over the counter serums and creams can slow the ageing process, reversing the effects of sun-damaged skin requires an in-clinic visit.

Depending on the level of sun damage, it may require multiple treatments to repair and regenerate your skin to achieve a youthful complexion.

Chemical peels and medical microdermabrasion can revitalise the top layer of sun-damaged skin. For the deeper layers, fractional laser treatments can help to undo the cellular damage and achieve a more even-toned and smoother skin texture.

The exact treatment requirements will depend on the severity of your sun-damaged skin. Your clinician will advise you on the most effective treatments for your needs during your consultation at b clinic.

Can You Repair Sun-Damaged Skin?

Yes. But the sun’s UV rays damage the skin in different ways. You may need several types of treatment to improve each visible sign of sun damage.

Can Sun Spots Go Away?

While painful sunburn fades after a few days, sun spots on the face and neck won’t go away by themselves. Medical grade peels, micro-needling, and dermabrasion can all be effective treatments for sun spots, skin concerns, and signs of ageing.

For more prominent discolouration, it may be necessary to use fractional laser treatments to target the deeper layers of the skin. Often a combination of treatments is best to eliminate sun spots and help you achieve healthier-looking skin.

Professional Sun-Damaged Skin Treatments at b clinic

There are many effective treatments for reversing the effects of sun-damaged skin. Your clinician at b clinic will provide a personalised recommendation. Treatments can include:

Medical Grade Peels

Medical grade peels are a popular and effective treatment for removing the outer layer of sun-damaged skin and stimulating collagen production.

You can reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone, eliminate fine lines and wrinkles, and improve the elasticity of the skin. By removing damaged outer layers, medical grade peels stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin.

You’ll experience some redness and mild discomfort for up to 48 hours after the procedure. Within a few days, your skin will repair with a fresh and youthful layer to replace the sun-damaged areas.

Medical grade peels are often combined with medical microdermabrasion and laser treatments to achieve the best results for sun-damaged skin.

IPL Skin Rejuvenation

This non-invasive cosmetic procedure is an effective way to combat the pigmentation, freckles, and visible spider veins caused by overexposure to the sun. It’s been clinically proven to significantly improve the appearance of photodamaged skin.

IPL Skin Rejuvenation works by applying targeted pulses of light of the sun-damaged areas of skin. It’s a fast and effective treatment with minimal downtime.

You can see results after the first procedure. For patients with more extensive sun-damaged skin, it may require 3 – 5 treatments to fully revitalise the skin and reverse the signs of ageing caused by sun damage.

Medical Microdermabrasion

Medical microdermabrasion treatments help to reduce visible signs of ageing and repair sun damage on face, hands, and neck by exfoliating the outer layers of skin. You can achieve a younger, firmer, and even-toned complexion.

The procedure is typically performed in three stages. The first stage uses refined micro-crystals to exfoliate the surface of the skin and remove sun-damaged cells.

This followed by a vacuum suction process to remove any residual crystals from the abrasive process and to stimulate the lymphatic drainage of the skin cells.

The final step is to apply a potent anti-ageing serum infusion that is enriched with antioxidants.

The three-step process reinvigorates the skin by eliminating sun-damaged cells and promoting the body’s natural healing and collagen production. You’ll leave the clinic with a more youthful, smoother, and even-toned appearance.

Micro-needling

While home-use derma rollers have increased in popularity over the last few years, micro-needling needs to be performed in clinic to repair sun-damaged skin.

Professional Dermapen Skin Needling can provide a dramatic improvement to the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging. It can also be used to treat sun spots and mild to moderate pigmentation.

The procedure works by using dozens of tiny needles to puncture the layers of skin and create micro-wounds. This kick starts the body’s healing process, and the area surrounding the micro wound produces new collagen and elastin.

Dermapen skin needling is an effective sun-damaged skin treatment that helps you to achieve firmer skin and a more youthful glow.

Laser Skin Rejuvenation

Laser Skin Rejuvenation is an increasingly popular way to eliminate wrinkles, fine lines, sun spots, and pigmentation.

There are several laser treatments that can be used to improve sun-damaged skin. The right laser treatment for you will depend on your skin sensitivity and the severity of your sun-damaged skin.

Picosure Laser

Picosure is an innovative cosmetic laser treatment that uses short pulses of energy to create a photomechanical effect within the dermis. These targeted pulses disrupt the particles in the pigment that cause sun spots, melasma, and scarring.

Much gentler than traditional photothermal laser treatments, Picosure is a non-invasive way to stimulate the production of collagen and improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin.

There’s no extended downtime, with most people experiencing mild redness for just a couple of hours post-treatment. Picosure is suitable for all skin tones.

Action II Erbium Fractional Laser

A targeted fractional laser can be used to create tiny micro-wounds in the deeper layers of sun-damaged skin. This stimulates the production of new collagen. As the micro-wounds heal, your sun-damaged skin is replaced with new, fresh cells.

Fractional laser treatments can be an effective way to reverse the visible signs of ageing, rejuvenate sun-damaged skin, and resurface skin tone.

In comparison to a laser peel, fractional skin rejuvenation targets precise areas of the skin at a time and requires less downtime.

Revlite Laser Peel

If you have extensive sun-damaged skin, a Revlite laser peel can be used to target the deeper layers of the skin to eliminate deep wrinkles, sagging, and pigmentation.

Revlite laser peels are more powerful than fractional laser procedures. They remove the outer layer, penetrating deeper into the skin. This targeting of the deeper layers results in more extensive collagen production and cell renewal. You can counteract the more visible skin concerns resulting from moderate to severely sun-damaged skin.

It’s an effective way to remove sun spots, deep wrinkles, and fine lines. Depending on your skin sensitivity, it may be more suitable to have multiple fractional or Picosure laser treatments to achieve similar results.