Healing the Harmful Effects of the Sun: How Cosmetologists Can Assist with Skin Repair

The intense rays of the sun can affect your skin. And while in the short term, that means battling a sunburn, there can also be long-term consequences hidden deep within the skin. When the sun ages the skin prematurely, it's called photoaging, which can lead to skin cancer. Sun damage to the skin occurs when ultraviolet (UV) light hits unprotected skin through sunscreen, causing changes in DNA at the cellular level. Because photodamage occurs in the deepest layers of the skin, it can take years before damage is visible.

Signs of sun damage
Signs of sun damage can appear in the early twenties and can include symptoms such as loss of skin tone, changes in pigmentation such as age spots, freckles, wrinkles, rough or uneven skin texture, redness and blotchiness, etc. Broad spectrum sunscreens with a good sun protection factor and a 3+ rating are the gold standard in photo damage prevention and maintenance treatments. In hypersensitive individuals, an oral sunscreen is also recommended. While sun damage can't be eradicated, the following treatments can often help reduce it and brighten your skin.

Use a professional exfoliation facial
Exfoliation works wonders to repair sun damage. It stimulates the growth of new and healthy cells by removing dead skin cells, promotes collagen production and renewal, and lightens or eliminates the effects of sun damage.

1. Lasers are used to reduce the appearance of brown spots and fine lines, rejuvenate the skin, and improve the texture and appearance of enlarged pores. Some other lasers, such as pulsed dye, can treat redness and broken blood vessels caused by too much sun exposure. However, the true beauty of laser surgery is that it helps your skin heal and treat pre-cancerous changes.
    
2. A HydraFacial is an excellent remedy for many skin problems, including sun damage. When paired with a retinol booster, it gives the best results to sun-damaged skin. This magical treatment uses hydra-
   dermabrasion technology to cleanse and hydrate your skin in 60 minutes. Moreover, it is effective for all skin types providing long lasting results with zero downtime.
    
3. Photodynamic therapy treatment helps remove pre-cancerous spots resulting from sun exposure. It uses topical drugs applied to the skin to activate the drug and then blue or red fluorescent light, which destroys pre-cancerous cells but spares normal cells.