My name is Marilyn Baker, and I have horrible allergies. I’m 42 years old and have been suffering from allergies since I was a child. I have seasonal and environmental allergies. Allergies plague me year round. When I was young, my parents even moved to a dryer area in the hope of helping me. Over the past eight years, I have done extensive research both through doctors and online. I have managed to come up with some combinations that have helped me a great deal. My allergies aren’t gone, but they have become manageable. I do have to have allergy shots, but I also use some natural remedies. I am happy to be able to share my findings with you here on my blog. I hope you can find some of this of value.
If you got caught up in the sun-worshipping craze that took place decades ago, then there is no question that your skin is sun damaged. If you didn't develop skin cancer as a result of too much tanning, then consider yourself lucky. An estimated 90 percent of people who develop skin cancer developed it as a direct result of sun or tanning bed exposure. There may be no time machine you can use to go back and reverse the bad decisions you made in the past, but you can take steps to make your skin look better today.
1. Start Wearing Sunscreen Today
It is never too late to begin wearing sunscreen to prevent even more sun damage to your skin. Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and begin wearing it every single day. The best time to apply it is in the morning right before you put on your makeup. If you have neglected sunscreen in the past because it irritated your skin, then remember that not all sunscreens use the same formula.
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that people with sensitive skin use a physical sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Those ingredients are much less irritating to the skin than ingredients in chemical sunscreens.
2. Try Chemical Peels for Milder Damage
Obtaining a chemical peel is a great first step for treating sun damage. Depending on how much your skin improves from the peels, you can then decide if you need more intense treatment or not. You can opt for a gentler peel, such as a glycolic acid peel, and obtain several of them with about two-weeks downtime between each peel to see how much your skin improves.
If you want to just have one peel performed that is as effective as several of the more gentle glycolic peels, then you can opt for a TCA peel that penetrates deeper into your skin to improve more damage at once.
3. Opt for Lasers to Tackle Deeper Damage
Fractional laser resurfacing is a great option for deep sun damage, and there is little downtime afterward compared to other laser resurfacing treatments. Unlike most chemical peels, laser resurfacing not only treats the top layer of skin, called the epidermis, but they also penetrate deep into the second layer, or dermis. They not only help remove damaged skin, so it can replace itself, but they also trigger a chemical reaction within skin that cause it to begin producing new collagen, which is the main building-block of skin.
IPL laser therapy is another option that is not a peel at all. IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light, therapy is often called photorejuvenation, or a photofacial. Instead of peeling off damaged layers of skin, an IPL laser simply triggers your skin to repair itself.
It can be a great idea to first have a laser peel, then after your skin has healed, begin IPL sessions. This can be the best way to turn severely sun-damaged skin back into the healthiest state possible.
Don't think that there isn't hope for your sun-damaged skin. Be grateful it didn't cause skin cancer, and begin working to improve the look and health of your skin using the above methods. Never try intense chemical peels or laser therapy at home. Visit a dermatologist experienced in aesthetic dermatology, and he or she can help you determine the best treatment plan for repairing your skin.
Share