Posted on June 6, 2023 by Claudio Sorrentino Most people prefer the rich, healthy look of a glowing tan, but there’s a fine line between safe tanning and absorbing too much of the radiant energy of the sun. In some cases, long-term sun damage results in brown spots on the facial skin. If you have age spots or brown spots on your facial skin, the chances are good that the sun has played a part in their formation. But there is good news for you. There are several options for reducing or eliminating Sun Damage. The skincare professionals at Body Details True Laser® Centers will discuss the causes and remedies for sun damage.
How Do You Get Sun Damage on Your Face?
Most people are aware of how sun damage to the face occurs. Because most people don’t wear hats or SPF sunblock on their faces on a consistent basis, they absorb some amount of sunlight every day. In addition, many individuals work outdoors or enjoy outdoor pastimes. The face takes the greatest amount of sun because the body is usually covered. Tanning of the body skin is often relegated to time at the beach or tanning beds.
The ultraviolet light in solar energy affects the skin at a cellular level. This phenomenon is referred to as photoaging in the medical community. In addition to brown sun spots, photoaging can cause wrinkling, freckles, loss of elasticity, uneven skin texture, and spider veins. Continuous exposure to UV light can also cause skin cancer, a far more serious medical condition.
Are the Brown Spots from Sun Damage Permanent?
Brown spots on the skin are not always permanent. In many cases, if the individual takes preventative action, they may fade or disappear entirely. On the other hand, continuous exposure to the sun may mean lead to more brown spots appearing and existing brown spots growing in size.
How to Prevent or Treat Brown Spots
There are a few ways to slow or reduce the appearance of brown spots on your skin. Even if you aren’t concerned about sun damage, you should consider these measures to prevent skin cancer.
Use a Sunblock with SPF 30 or Higher – Even if you aren’t planning on being out in the sun for long periods of time, applying Sunblock in the morning and reapplying it throughout the day can help prevent sun damage to your face.
Wear a Hat with a Wide Brim – A hat can block most of the sun from reaching your face. It’s not quite as effective as a sunblock because reflective light will still reach your face. Still, a hat will eliminate a significant portion of the sun.
Tint Your Car Windows – Your daily commute to work can cause the left side of your face to get a disproportionate amount of sunlight. Tinting your car windows with a UPF rating can help you avoid direct light from the rising and setting sun.
Avoid Tanning – If you’re concerned about sun spots, tanning of any kind is out. If you want to go to the beach, bring sunblock with a high rating and reapply it regularly.
Treatment Options for Sun Damage
If you have brown spots or sun damage on your face, there are a number of things that you can do to restore your skin to its previous luster. Here are some of the methods that are available for brown spots on the skin.
Medications
As an initial treatment, dermatologists often prescribe hydroquinone cream, which bleaches the skin. This is often combined with a mild steroid. This may reduce the size of your sunspots over the course of a few months. Side effects include itching, dryness, redness, and a burning sensation.
Dermabrasion
The dermabrasion process involves a high-speed rotating brush buffing away the top layers of skin. As the upper layers of dead skin are stripped away, the dermis can breathe and heal. This often requires several treatments. Irritation and pinkness are frequent side effects.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves the application of liquid nitrogen to brown spots for about five seconds. The extreme cold of the liquid nitrogen destroys the excess pigment. When the skin heals, it should be lighter.
Laser Treatments
With laser treatment for sun damage, a technician targets sun damage on the face with a medical-grade laser. The intense light of the laser causes the additional pigmentation to break up, and it removes the top layer of the skin. When the skin heals, it is frequently lighter. One of the advantages of this method is that laser treatment for sun damage can be combined with other skin rejuvenation services, such as scar reduction. Laser sun spot removal requires only two or three sessions, and the side effects are minimal.
Benefits of Laser Treatment for Brown Spots and Sun Damage
At Body Details True Laser® Centers, our technicians have performed thousands of laser treatments like sun damage removal. The benefits of this approach are numerous:
- Fast – You should see an improvement immediately after your first session.
- Convenient – Laser treatments usually take less than half an hour, and you can schedule before or after work, on your lunch break, or even on a Saturday.
- Effective – Most patients see a partial or full reduction of brown spots on their skin.
- No Down Time – Unlike surgical alternatives, there is no prep time before or downtime after your treatment.
- Affordable – Body Details laser treatments are reasonably priced, with packages affordable for most household budgets. Financing options are available.
Frequently Asked Questions About Facial Spot Removal
We recognize that even cosmetic medical decisions can be daunting without specific information. The following questions are commonly asked by Body Details patients. To have your questions answered by a medical professional, schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at Body Details True Laser® Centers.
Why Do I Have Brown Spots if I Don’t Tan?
Certain types of skin are more prone to brown sun spots. It may require very little light for your skin type to produce the pigmentation that causes brown spots. If you are particularly susceptible to this type of sun damage, start taking the precautionary measures we described above.
Are Brown Spots Dangerous?
In many cases, the brown spots on your face are just discolorations and not dangerous. However, sun damage can be an indicator of other issues that are more concerning. You should see a dermatologist for an annual skin checkup and any time you see a change in your skin’s coloring or texturing. If their diagnosis is that the brown spots are cosmetic in nature, contact a Body Details True Laser® Center near you.
Florida Laser Sun Damage Removal
With dozens of locations throughout Florida, there’s a Body Details True Laser® Center near you. Call today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
