Sun Damage, Can It Be Reversed?
I can tell you from personal experience that damage from the sun is the number one cause of premature aging to the face, neck, chest and hands. I look back at pictures of my neck and chest just 5 short years ago and can not believe the changes I see…..and, they’re not positive changes. These dramatic changes in pigmentation and texture are the result of repeated sun exposure.
Repeated exposure to harmful UV rays causes a breakdown and depletion of collagen and inhibits the production of healthy elasticin fibers needed to maintain a youthful look. This leads to creepy, sagging skin with a thick leathery look combined with sun spots, freckles, broken blood vessels, not to mention skin cancer. Sun damage appears on the skin as age spots or freckles from the increase in the melanin production. The damaging UV rays of the sun also break down the structural walls of the blood vessels to the face leading to broken capillaries.
The good news….you CAN make changes and now is the time to prepare. You may choose to begin making these changes following the Christmas season after the parties and the festivities or you may opt to begin the treatments now using the holidays as recovery time. Regardless, winter is the best time to begin correcting all your past sun damage due to the decrease in direct sun exposure to the areas of concern.
First, commit to avoiding tanning beds and direct extended UV exposure to the area of concern. Next, put in place a quality skin care regimen that incorporates exfoliation, topical antioxidants, retinol use, moisturizing agents and broad spectrum sun protection. Keeping your skin moisturized is also important because it keeps water volume in the skin to leave the area hydrated and plump. The sun will diminish the moisture and natural oils that lubricate the skin leaving your skin dry and flaky if adequate moisturizing products are not utilized.
Your course of action will likely be dictated by two things, the level of damage your skin has sustained and the amount of time and money you wish to devote to reversing the damage. Skin resurfacing, either ablative or non-ablative will help decrease the creepiness and destroy the top layer of damaged skin while stimulating the dermis to produce collagen and elastin fibers. Ablative skin resurfacing (Profractional) will require minimal downtime of 5 to 14 days depending on the aggressiveness, while non-ablative skin resurfacing (microderms & chemical peels) has no downtime yet requires more treatments than ablative resurfacing. Multiple treatments of both types of resurfacing and or a combination of treatments may be required depending on the amount and depth of sun damage.
Intense Pulsed Light treatments (also referred to as IPL, photo facials and Photo rejuvenation) target abnormal pigmentation such as brown spots, freckles and rosacea (redness to the face). IPL treatments minimally stimulate collagen; however will destroy broken facial capillaries. Immediately following treatment, the targeted pigmented areas appear darker and within a few days the darkened area will scab and flake off leaving the area substantially lighter than it was prior to the treatment. Routinely, 5 – 6 treatments are needed.
Regardless of the treatment path you choose, make sure to wear a sunscreen everyday to prevent further damage and discoloration. Look at the skin on your face, neck, chest and hands. Do you visually see the sun damage you have accrued? If you do then others can too. If you want to, YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES, I DID. Call today to schedule your consult with one of the board certified physicians of Advanced Aesthetics or a board certified physician in your area to determine the treatment protocol that will most benefit you.
Your Eyes Are The Window To Your Soul…..Part Two
Continuing with our focus on the eyes, another concern for many is the appearance of dark under eye circles, puffiness or saggy eye lids. There are different methods of addressing or correcting these conditions, based on the severity. Some common causes of under eye puffiness and or dark circles are allergies, lack of sleep, dehydration, and sun exposure. Others may develop the dark under eye circles or puffiness due to genetics. Many times these issues can be addressed using topical eye products such as SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex. This product will reduce inflammation to the vessels in the eye area, increase circulation and drain excess fluid while increasing collagen and elastin. Combined with the use of a quality sun protection such as SkinCeuticals Ultimate UV 30 to be applied daily and properly fitting sunglasses, an individual is sure to see visible improvements.
When the application of topical eye products is not enough an individual may require surgical correction to the puffy under eye area or the saggy upper eye area. Upper blepharoplasty is the most effective treatment for upper saggy or hooded lids while lower blepharoplasty is effective for treatment of the puffy or bulging lower lids. These procedures can be performed alone or together depending on your own eye issues. All surgical procedures should be performed by a board certified surgeon who has received adequate training and who has the experience and artistry needed to assist you achieve your goals.
Whatever your individual concerns with the eye area….there is no time like the present to turn back the clock. Prevention begins in your 20’s while correction may begin in your 30’s. Call today and schedule a consult with a licensed medical aesthetician to discuss skin care products that would be most effective for your individual needs or schedule a consult with a board certified physician to discuss other procedures and treatment options. All products and services are available at Advanced Aesthetics by Wichita Clinic (http://www.wcbeauty.com)
Your Eyes are the Window to Your Soul…PART ONE
The eyes are the window to our inner self, what do your eyes say about you??? The skin around your eyes may have fine lines or deep wrinkles aging you beyond your true numerical age. Maybe the skin around your eyes looks thin and crepey with puffy bags and/or dark under eye circles making you look like you haven’t slept for week…Whatever the issue, there are several different routes you can embark upon to achieve correction. In this first Glam and Healthy I’ll discuss the options for rejuvenation treatments and/or procedures to prevent and correct your aging eye concerns. Changes to the eye area will make a huge difference in your appearance.
One simple change you can make is using a lash growth stimulating product. Long, full lashes symbolize youth and overall good health. As we age our lashes become sparse, thin and brittle; therefore, using a product to stimulate lash growth will provide fairly quick changes to the eye area. LatisseTM is the only FDA approved product to stimulate growth. Longer fuller lashes open up the eye area making you appear more alert, rested and youthful. This product is available at Advanced Aesthetics by Wichita Clinic.
Crow’s feet at the corners of the eyes are often a major concern for men and women. The skin surrounding the eye area is very thin; therefore we must pay especially close attention to this area. Squinting and smiling causes muscles around your eyes to contract forming lines and wrinkles even at rest. Combine this repeated muscle contraction with sun exposure and you are on a fast road to the aging process due to the break down of collagen and elastin in the skin from sun damage. You would never want to stop smiling as a way of preventing these muscle contractions, so prevention and special treatment is your best option. This can be accomplished with use of sunglasses, skin care products and the use of Dysport / Botox.
Wearing a proper fitting pair of sunglasses to minimize squinting is one simple step you can take. Using topical eye creams containing growth factors and antioxidants will help moisturize the eye area and prevent or slow down the aging process. Products such as SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex and SkinMedica’s TNS Recovery Complex help to restore the water and nutrient content of the epidermal and dermal area, increasing skin elasticity and thickness.
BotoxTM / Dysport injections around the eyes will minimize the appearance of crow’s feet. In addition, Botox / Dysport injected below the lower lashes can provide the illusion of larger eyes. Strategically located injections above the eye can provide a more “open eye” look and something of a brow lift. The Botox / Dysport brow lift may decrease the appearance of tired aging eyes.
All injections should be performed by a board certified physician who has received the appropriate training and has substantial injection experience. The physician’s expertise and artistry is vital to the successful outcome of your treatment.
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