Top Tips For Minimizing Age Spots
Who doesn’t love to feel the sun’s rays and warmth as we enter this much-anticipated summer season? But, it’s common knowledge that if you’re planning to be out in the sun, protection is critical in the forms of high SPF sunscreen, hats, and outdoor areas with plenty of shade.
One of the most common signs of aging, courtesy of the sun, is age spots, or hyperpigmentation. The technical name for these is solar lentigines, but no matter what you call them, they detract from your skin’s appearance and your confidence.
Dr. Sharon Gertzman and the caring team at Serenity Medical Spa offer a diverse array of safe and successful skin treatments and products that banish sun spots and make you proud of your skin.
Why do age spots appear?
Once a spot’s visible on your skin, it means that this area hasn’t been sufficiently protected from the sun’s harmful rays for quite a long time. Most spots appear when you’re 50 or older, but if you’ve spent many summers as a lifeguard or sunbathing, they can appear at a younger age.
What can I do to minimize or erase my sun spots?
Fortunately, there are quite a few steps you can take to fade your age spots, including these innovative treatments.
1. Intense pulsed light treatments
Called IPL treatments for short, this noninvasive procedure harnesses the power of light to safely rid your skin of sun damage. The treatment addresses the thin layers of your skin individually, and new, fresh skin that’s free of spots, unwanted redness, and other problems emerges.
After treatment, your skin’s smoother and more evenly toned, and you see long-term results within days. The comfortable, brief treatments are done every several weeks depending on your treatment plan, there’s zero post-treatment downtime, and you can address spots on your chest, neck, and hands in addition to your face.
2. PicosureⓇ laser treatments
Lasers have burst onto the skincare scene and efficiently treat age spots. During a treatment session, Dr. Gertzman uses Picosure, a small handheld device to deliver short laser pulses to your affected areas. This treatment reduces the appearance of age spots and tightens your skin.
Picosure is completely safe, and although you may experience just a bit of swelling for up to 24 hours, there’s no downtime with this treatment, so you can be back in the office an hour later.
3. Photodynamic therapy
During this treatment to address sun damage and age spots, Dr. Gertzman applies a topical agent to your skin that’s activated by light. After she applies it and it dries for several minutes, you let it work for 30 to 60 minutes.
Afterward, you enter our light-source room for exposure, and the medication does its work. You might feel warmth or tingling, but we mitigate that by directing a fan toward your treated area. After the session ends, we wash the treatment area and apply sunscreen to it.
4. Microdermabrasion
This is another noninvasive, painless procedure that removes age spots by carefully and gently removing a very thin top layer of your skin. When this goes, so do your age spots.
Treatments last under an hour and Dr. Gertzman prescribes an average of four to six treatments for most patients. It’s safe and accompanied by no post-treatment side effects or discomfort. You see results quickl.
5. Laser Skin Resurfacing
This treatment also uses laser light energy to remove the top layers of skin, and with it, your age spots. You receive a topical anesthetic prior to treatment, a session lasts about half an hour, and healing takes 3-10 days. You’ll be amazed at the results!
Dr. Gertzman uses the ScitonⓇ Profile Laser MicroLaserPeel™ system, the most advanced of its kind.
6. Skin care products
Dr. Gertzman believes that the care you give your skin day in and day out halts the development of age spots significantly. In addition to practicing standard sun protection, we offer the excellent ZOⓇ Skin Health product line to keep your skin in tip-top shape.
From gentle cleansers and exfoliating products to cream specifically made to control pigmentation and a line of skin brighteners, we have everything you need to maintain your post-treatment look and keep age spots at bay for good. We’re currently offering free shipping on all your ZO Skin Health product orders with us.
Pursue a solution to our age spots safely
We’re thrilled to offer completely safe in-person treatments again. We’re sanitizing our office thoroughly, using masks, and practicing the latest in recommended safety measures to protect against COVID-19.
If you’ve tried at-home treatments for age spots with no success, it’s time to look into the many treatment options we offer at Serenity Medical Spa. Call our office to make an appointment or take advantage of our convenient online booking tool.