Dark Spots and Sun Damage

I've had some questions this summer randomly from people who know or have heard that I am an Esthetician.  The questions sparked my mind about sharing some ways to combat sun damage spots and pigment. Some of you are at the age where you're starting to see the visual effects of your younger days of sun worship.  It was certainly not uncommon in my day to see my friends laying on their rooftops or trampolines next to a bottle of baby oil or cooking oil.  They would drench their bodies in the slick shiney stuff hoping to attract more of the suns rays for a golden sunkissed look.  I can understand the desire.  It feels so good (number #1)...and number #2 it made you look healthier!  I looked slimmer and muscles more defined when I was tan.  I loved it!  Now we're seeing more and  more patients in doctors offices with skin cancers that are deadly.  It's frightening!  I think we're smarter about the sun...even though it still feels good to be in it.  We're more aware of the damage we're doing to our skin, which is good because when we're aware of the health of our skin, we can be preventative.  With that....some of us are starting to experience the damage that has already taken place.  Dark spots around the eyes and lips, foreheads, decollete, and hands.  Fortunately there are products that can help.

First off, what happened when the moment the damage occurred, is that the sun reached the deepest most layers of the epidermis.  It happened probably as a young child or baby when your skin was very tender.  You most likely got a severe sunburn.  It only takes a few in our lifetime...even possibly one bad burn to do serious damage, even though it won't show for years to come.  Cute little freckles on children are also a sign that the skin has been damaged.  Anyhow...the sun reached deep down into our skin and damaged the little cells (called Melanocytes) that actually create and control the pigment in our skin.  As our skin renews itself, those little damaged cells slowly get pushed forward to the top layers of our skin in the shedding process.  The older we get, the more prominent the sun damaged spots get because they're getting closer to the top of our skin.  You will never be able to completely reverse the damage that was caused, but you can help control the amount of pigment the melanocytes produce, thus lessening the darkness of the spots.

Fading sun spots and sun damage is a HUGE multi-million dollar industry and it's not always cheap to get the results desired.  With that in mind... Here are some of my tips and products for erasing those nasty dark spots. 

1. ALWAYS use sunscreen no matter what the forecast says!  ALWAYS!!!!  Use SPF 30 or more.  Here are some recommendations:

Obagi Nu-Derm Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35

NuCelle Mandelic SunSense SPF 30

Oil of Olay Complete SPF 30

2.  Use an antioxidant serum to protect your skin from further environmental damage caused by pollution, toxins in the air, and the sun.  Here are some of my favorites:

SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF (for Oily skin - CE Ferulic for Normal skin)

SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum

Eminence Grapefruit-C Gel

3.  Spot correctors are useful.  You can spot treat existing spots to help fade them away.  Some are natural plant based formulas and some are more chemical physician grade.  Whatever you prefer, you're more than likely to see results.  Here are some that I recommend:

Obagi Nu-Derm Clear

Mesoestetic Cosmelan 2

Clinicians Complex 6% Bleaching Cream

5.  Exfoliate Regularly!  There are many ways this can be done.  Depending on what you prefer and how much money you want to spend...  here are some methods:
     

•  Mild soap and a washcloth - With gentle circular motions, you can use this method easily and      regularly in the comfort of your own home without having to buy anything.  Besides soap....
  
• Granular Scrubs - This is called a "physical" exfoliator because it uses ground up particals or microdermabrasion spheres.  This can be done anywhere from once a week to daily depending on how sensitive your skin is and how oily your skin is.  Keep in mind that if you have open sores from acne or anything like that, do not use a granular scrub on your skin as it will aggravate the healing process and also spread bacteria causing more acne and inflammation.  Also in the line of granular or "physical" scrubs is the new hand held facial brushes you have seen like the Clarisonic and Derma New.  Here are some of my favorites, and some I am using right now:

Nucelle Papaya Skin Exfoliator

Clinicians Complex Microdermabrasion Cream
(With perfectly round microdermabrasion crystals)
My personal favorite - and it smells so lemony fresh!

DermaNew with Microdermabrasion Scrub

Clarisonic Mia- Pink

• Chemical Exfoliation - This is a more gentle form of exfoliation you can get by having chemical peels at your facial salon, or skin care school.  Glycolic Acid is a very popular form of chemical exfoliation that women use for anti-aging.  You can find Glycolic acid peels, home use creams, cleansers, and serums.  Lactic Acid peels are even more gentle but also trigger more of the "melancytes" in the skin preventing them from sending darker cells to the surface.  Lactic acid actually has a bleaching affect on the skin.  You can get creams and serums with Kojic acid (derived from mushrooms) that also have a bleaching evening affect on your skin as well, with out being so "chemical".   Here are some I recommend:

Image I-Peel Lactic/Kojic Acid Chemical Peel
(Only done by professionals in Salons)

Glytone Cleansers, Serums, and Creams

M2 - the whole line.  Cleanser, Serum (for face & Body), and Moisturizer

After all that....there are some really great Skin Bleaching kits that some well known skin care companies have with much science and great results.  Check them out:

And if after all that doesn't work for you....see your dermatologist for special skin bleaching cream prescriptions they can offer you, that you cannot find over the counter.


I hope you all continue to treat your skin well, be safe, and have the best summer yet!!!

Enjoy!