Now that the summer is over (sorry), some of us may be noticing that we may have given the sun a little too much access to the very delicate skin on our faces. When it comes to sun damage there’s a real sliding scale of severity in terms of how it reflects on our skin. You might simply have dry skin and sun spots, or you might have gotten a sunburn or even raised bumps.

We’re going to focus on common sun damage that you can get from even the smallest amount of sun exposure. Some people are really prone to damage and some people have skin that’s slightly hardier. But no matter how tough your skin is, we should all be practicing safe sun care.

But let’s just say that you had a few too many afternoons out out in the park, or on the golf course, or on the dock, or hitting the patio with friends. You didn’t realize it until it was too late. You’ve got brown spots, dry skin, more fine lines than usual, and some broken capillaries as well as dullness. Don’t panic! There are definitely ways to combat that sun damage and get your skin back in shape.

A Solid Skincare Regimen to Repair Sun Damage

First off, you’re going to want to get back into a solid skincare routine. When it comes to sun damage in particular, especially hyperpigmentation and brown spots, we highly recommend Miracle 10’s AHA cream or gel mixed with Super C. This combo will do wonders to reduce the appearance of those pigmented patchy areas.

Retinol is also great for improving the effects of sun damage, but limit the use of this product if you’re going to continue getting a lot of sun. That being said, this could be a good time to re-introduce retinol into your skincare regime now that patio season is winding down.

Stem Cell Serum is also a great way to start fighting free radical damage and any premature signs of ageing that the sun may have inflicted.

And, of course, sunscreen!!! But, this goes without saying. Sun screen should always be a part of your skincare routine. ALWAYS.

In Clinic Treatments for Sun Damage

When it comes to the effects of sun damage, a solid skincare routine in combination with the right in-clinic treatments will probably be the best course of action, especially, if the damage done may have been a little more severe, or if those sun spots are being pretty stubborn. We always recommend an in-person consult so that you can develop a customized treatment plan to address your goals.

As a baseline treatment, and this is honestly whether you have sun damage or not, we always recommend our Miracle 10 Facial Peel treatments. They can be gentle or strong, depending on your skin needs, but they will never ever leave your skin feeling coarse or raw. Just the opposite actually: your skin will look super smooth, clean, and refreshed, and if you make the treatment a regular part of your skincare routine, you’ll definitely start to see those sun spots and fine lines fade, and that much needed moisture return.

If you’re looking for something that’s a step up from our facial peel treatments, because that sun damage went just that little wee bit deeper, we recommend IPL (Intense Pulse Light therapy) and radiofrequency treatments like Forma. IPL will address those brown spots and broken capillaries in a more targeted way, and Forma will really improve on any texture or tone irregularities, while regenerating the skin and promoting new skin cell turnover.

PicoWay, which uses picosecond technology can also be used for pigmented lesions and melasma, and will ultimately result in more uniform skin. And if you’re looking to reverse skin damage but also generally improve on the overall quality of the skin, and just give the skin that much needed recharge, microneedling with hyaluronic acid is a great way to treat those fine lines, improve hydration, and also help with melasma.

Obviously the best way to avoid any sun damage is to protect the skin with sun screen and stay out of the sun as much as you can, but if you happened to have not been as careful as you had planned this summer, come see us. We’ll get your skin back to the glowing, rejuvenated place that it should rightfully be.