For us at Healthylooks Medspa, the fall season means Chiefs Football and time to correct summer skin damage. We hope everyone had a great summer spent outside with family and friends. And now that the weather is cooling down, it’s time to correct and protect against inevitable sun damage.
How does the sun affect your skin?
The heat of the sun dehydrates the skin and depletes its supply of natural lubricating oils. The sun also gives off ultraviolet (UV) radiation that causes long-term changes in the skin’s structure. UV exposure is damaging to the skin, and overtime, leads to wrinkles, dark spots, dry skin and other skin concerns. Research proves that UV exposure is the reason behind 80% of your skin’s aging.
How to correct sun damage
You can absolutely correct summer skin damage! Dr. Lamb recommends a combination of skincare treatments and products to help reverse and prevent sun damage. Here is his “damage control plan” for correcting hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, and dullness and dryness associated with summer sun damage.
1. Laser Treatments: Fraxel and BBL
The Fraxel Treatment and BroadBand Light (BBL) Treatment are both amazing technologies that address hyperpigmentation (brown spots), redness, and fine lines and wrinkles. The goal of laser resurfacing is simple: replace damaged skin with new, fresh skin to achieve an even-toned, smooth complexion.
Fraxel works by creating mico-injuries in the skin, and the magic is in the healing process. Fraxel delivers tiny pulses of thermal energy (heat) deep into the dermis which triggers the body’s own natural production of new collagen and skin cells.
Similarly to Fraxel, the BBL treatment uses heat to restore the skin. BBL uses infrared invisible light technology to gently heat the upper layers of the skin. The heat absorbed by the targeted areas stimulates the skin cells to regenerate. The treatment provides complexion improvements to the top layers of the skin, while working below in the dermis to revitalize old skin cells at the molecular level.
If you’re wondering which treatment is better for you, keep in mind that the Fraxel treatment is more aggressive. It is more of a one-and-done treatment, whereas we typically recommend a series of 3 BBL treatments to correct summer damage. It might be a good idea to treat your skin with one Fraxel treatment this fall, then maintain your results with a BBL every 4-6 months.
2. Monthly Chemical Peels
Beautiful skin takes maintenance! It’s best to pair your more intense laser treatments with a once-a-month Micropeel to maintain the best result. A Micropeel begins with dermaplaning, a technique that removes the top dead skin layer. Dr. Lamb always says “the prettier skin is underneath,” so removing the top layer dramatically improves the look of dull skin. Next a customized alpha-hydroxy acid solution is applied to the skin for a few minutes. The Micropeel ends with a combination of professional-grade skincare products to moisturize, brighten and plump the skin.
3. At-Home Professional Skincare Routine
Skincare treatments are beauty investments. It’s so important to protect those investments by using medical-grade skincare products at home. The three best skincare products for correcting summer damage are a brightener (typically a Vitamin C product), a Retinol, and an anti-aging moisturizer. It’s important to use products that actually WORK. We hate to break it to you, but anything that you can buy at Target or through a friend’s multilevel marketing company ain’t gonna cut it. Any skincare brand that is sold exclusively at doctor’s offices will have clinical data to support the efficacy of its products. (AKA, it really works.) Here are our favorite products for correcting summer damage:
- C+ Correcting Complex 30% by Revision Skincare: This product includes 30% THD Ascorbate, the gold-standard of Vitamin C, and many more powerful antioxidants. It brightens and evens skin tone, improves fine lines, and protects against free-radicals, caused by Urban Dust, and blue light, which is caused by phone, computer, and TV screens. Click here to view before and after photos https://revisionskincare.com/products/c-plus-correcting-complex-30-exclusive-antioxidant-blend-with-patent-pending-melapath-technology
- Retinol Complete by Revision Skincare: Retinol helps old cells to turnover and generate brand new cells. Ultimately retinol products reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and brighten and smooth texture. We love this specific retinol because the retinol is time-released for maximum efficacy with minimal irritation. It also boosts hydration levels to help combat the dryness that is typically associated with Retinols.
- DEJ Face Cream by Revision Skincare: This product basically has the kitchen sink. It is a multi-tasking anti-aging moisturizer with peptides, antioxidants, and super-hydrators. DEJ Face Cream is formulated to penetrate deep into the skin (it actually reaches the Dermal-Epidermal Junction which is why it is called “DEJ”) to volumize and plump thinning skin, brighten dull skin, and moisturize to smooth the skin. We swear by this product, for real. Click here to see before and after photos https://revisionskincare.com/products/dejface-cream-advanced-all-in-one-age-defying-moisturizer
- And of course, you wouldn’t want to correct your sun damage without preventing future damage! It’s important to use a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF coverage.
So to recap…
- It is possible to correct summer skin damage!
- We recommend a combination of laser treatments, chemical peels, and at-home medical grade skincare products.
- Beautiful skin takes consistency! You have to maintain your results with daily skincare products, and frequent skincare treatments.
