Your Skin and the Sun: A Love Hate Relationship

There are few things better than laying in the sun and feeling its comforting warmth. Whether you’re wiggling your toes in the grass or the sand, the warmth and light of the sun is what makes the experience special. 

On the flip side, the sun can also be your worst enemy and especially harmful to your skin. Its rays age you prematurely (photoaging). There are a multitude of problems that overexposure to the sun causes your skin, not the least of which is an increased risk of skin cancer.

Dr. Sharon Gertzman and the Serenity Medical Spa team are dedicated to caring for your skin and providing innovative treatments for many skin conditions, including erasing the damage that a lifetime of sun overexposure has caused. 

Is sun exposure really so harmful?

It absolutely is. The sun’s powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays wreak havoc on your skin. There are two types of UV rays — both imperceptible — that affect your skin differently:

• UVA rays’ long wavelengths cause aging of the skin
• UVB rays’ shorter wavelengths fuel skin burning

Each type of UV ray causes different skin problems, and each does its own unique damage. Both actually harm the DNA in your skin’s cells. 

How does sun damage show up on my skin?

You might sunbathe freely and feel like nothing bad is happening to your skin, but give it a few years — or decades — and the ill effects and discoloration you’ll see are unmistakable. Overexposure to the sun causes:

• Dry skin 
• Freckles, blotches, and brown spots (lentigines) 
• Redness
• Wrinkling
• Uneven skin tone and rough, leathery texture 
• Broken capillaries
• Loss of elasticity

As the years go by, sun damage accumulates, and your risk for skin cancer skyrockets if you don’t take care to protect your skin properly.  

Is it too late for me to address my sun damage?

No! There’s a treatment we offer that’s nothing short of game-changing for our patients living with sun-damaged skin. Intense pulsed light treatment, or IPL, is an important noninvasive treatment that enlists the transformative power of light energy to remove your damaged skin, layer by layer. 

IPL treatment restores your skin and improves its texture and appearance by breaking down your problematic pigment into minute particles. Afterward, your skin releases these particles naturally. IPL treatments don’t only improve sun damage on your face, they can also treat your:

• Neck
• Decolletage (upper chest area)
• Hands

The many light wavelengths that IPL treatments use to remove discoloration and other problems give the treatment its unique ability to erase sun damage. 

The best part? You see results quickly in only a matter of days, and you typically only need three to five treatments, spaced three to four weeks apart. 

Is IPL treatment uncomfortable or inconvenient?

No again. When you come to our office for treatment, Dr. Gertzman first applies a topical numbing agent to your targeted treatment area. She then aims the handheld IPL device at your treatment areas, while cool air soothes your skin. After about 15 minutes, your treatment is complete. 

After your IPL treatment, there’s zero downtime, and you can return to your normal activities right away. It’s even possible to apply makeup directly after your treatment if you wish. IPL can easily be customized to your particular skin tone and type.

IPL treatment may be used on its own or in conjunction with certain chemical peels and microdermabrasion. Its ability to restore your skin is remarkable — see for yourself by visiting our results gallery.

What is the best way to protect my skin from the sun?

Protection, protection, protection. In order for you to shield your skin from the worst the sun has to offer, you need to adopt a skincare regimen that includes sunscreen-infused products for daily use, like our excellent protective product and hydrating/calming lines by ZOⓇ Skin Health. 

Call our office to book an appointment for IPL treatment to make you look years younger, or schedule one or request one online.