Do you have dryness and discolouration caused by the sun? We can help.

That perfect skin in your 20’s starts to change as you age. Those once cute freckles don’t fade with your tan. Those dark spots that remain are actually age spots and if not treated will continue to get worse. The bulk of the sun damage that appears in your 50’s is a result of the excessive sun exposure and sun burns during early life.

Sunlight [ultraviolet (UV) rays] can impact the skin in many different ways.

• A suntan is your skin’s biological response to UV exposure. Contrary to popular belief there’s no such thing as a healthy tan.
• A sunburn is a thermal burn to the outer layers of your skin from prolonged UV exposure. It can be first degree, which reddens the skin and painful to touch, or second degree, with blistering and damage to deeper tissue layers. Sunburns in early childhood and adolescence significantly increase your risk of skin cancer later in life.
• Freckles are small, flat, pigmented circular spots in sun exposed areas. They may darken in the summer. These spots are harmless but their appearance can be minimized if desired.
• Melasma presents as abnormal patches of skin discolouration on the face and is often symmetrical and influenced by hormonal changes including pregnancy. Melasma will be worsened by UV exposure. Melasma can be minimized with creams and laser.
• Age spots, also called sun spots or solar lentigines, are flat brown spots that appear in sun exposed areas. Their appearance increases as we age, even if not sun exposed. These often unwanted lesions can be treated with creams, peels, laser, liquid nitrogen, microdermabrasion.
• There are many other sun induced changes to the skin that can be precancerous or cancerous. These absolutely need to be treated and should be assessed by your physician.