Is it possible to reverse sun damage

It shows up as sun-damaged skin. The signs appear as fine to medium wrinkles, sagging skin, freckles, uneven pigmentation, and dark spots. Sometimes they show up as precancerous lesions or skin cancer. The first step in reversing sun damaged skin is preventing further damage. Preventing sun damage is easier than reversing it. Measures include wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen and avoiding tanning beds. Ross says. Ross adds. People who are fair skinned or have a family history of skin cancer should be extra vigilant about sun protection.

Southern Californians in general should be careful about sun exposure since they are exposed to more intense sunlight more days of the year than people living in more temperate climates. Interventions for sun damage vary.

They range from daily use topical creams and gels to chemical and mechanical skin peels and laser treatments. These treatments can temporarily fade uneven pigment, smooth roughened or wrinkled skin, shrink pores and even restart collagen production. There are also red and brown age spots, broken blood vessels as well as wrinkling and sagging of the skin.

If you have a sunburn with painful blisters, a doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication. The type of treatment that will work best is dependent on the size and location of the actinic keratosis. If you have sun damage over time, it will cause premature wrinkles in your skin.

Try eating fruits and vegetables with lots of beta-carotene in them. Carrots, spinach, and cantaloupe are three foods that can give you a good dose and fight off wrinkles.

Ask a dermatologist about retinoid creams. These creams help boost the amount of collagen in your skin. You can schedule a chemical peel with your esthetician. A chemical peel removes damaged cells from the top layers of your skin. An esthetician can also perform microdermabrasion. This is a process that removes the outer layer of skin with tiny grains. It also stimulates new collagen growth.

There are a few types of laser therapy that can help. They are CO2 and erbium laser resurfacing. In both types, concentrated light removes layers of skin to reveal the growing, new skin underneath. This procedure is not as aggressive as CO2 or erbium and results are not as dramatic, but a great alternative to surgery.

Melasma is similar to sun spots, but they appear as patchy brown or grey patches. Melasma is often related to hormonal fluctuations and much harder to treat, It is not recommended to use heat lasers to treat melasma, as they can exacerbate the problem.

There is no complete way to reverse sun damage on face regions. If you have mild skin damage, try over the counter creams and treatments first. If your skin shows concerns of larger damage, consult your doctor or dermatologist.

A skincare professional will have a variety of options depending on what type of damage is on your skin. A doctor may be able to help with prescription medication or by running a biopsy to rule out anything more serious. Remember, the best protection of sun damage is prevention. Always wear sunscreen when going outside. Cover your skin with lightweight clothing in the heat. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes.

Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. So can you actually reverse sun damage to the skin? She also suggested retinol, particularly for treating fine lines and wrinkles. Sun protection is truly key to preventing sun damage. Suggest a correction. So Long, Hyaluronic Acid.