You may have started to wear sun protection once you found out that overexposure to the sun’s rays can cause premature aging and harmful skin conditions such as cancer. But if, like most people, you didn’t worry about sun hats and SPF in your youthful years of basking in the summer sun, you still have years’ worth of sun damage on your skin. You can’t change the past but you can follow some simple tips that may help you reverse some sun damage.
Step 1
Wear sunscreen that contains an SPF of at least 15. Although your skin is more exposed to UV rays during the summer months, you should wear sunscreen all year round because your skin can still sustain damage at any time. By wearing sunscreen on a daily basis, you reduce your daily exposure to the sun, you give your skin time to heal and your immune system gets a chance to repair some damage you’ve sustained in the past, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.
Step 2
Bleach your skin’s brown spots. An over-the-counter skin lightener that contains kojic acid, hydroquinone, a steroid cream and a vitamin A derivative can help lighten unwanted brown spots and blotchy discolorations caused by the sun.
Step 3
Apply topical green tea. In a study by the American Academy of Dermatology, green tea applied to test subjects’ skin 30 minutes prior to UVB exposure reduced sunburn cells by 66 percent. The green tea had an anti-inflammatory effect and protected subjects from UV rays’ effects on the immune system.
Step 4
Use a moisturizer that contains alpha hydroxy acid or a facial serum that contains hyaluronic acid. These products can plump up the dry skin around your eyes, make your skin appear less wrinkled and, over time, help boost the production of new collagen.
Step 5
Ask your doctor about topical retinoids. Using a prescription vitamin A product such as tretinoin can boost blood flow to your skin, slough off dead skin cells, normalize sun damaged cells and plump up the cells in your top layer of skin, according to dermatologist Dr. Michele Grodberg, in a Ladies’ Home Journal article.
Step 6
Ask a dermatologist about other skin treatments. Professional laser treatments can reduce discoloration, wrinkles and blotchiness; photodynamic therapy--pulsed light and a topical solution--can remove scaly patches from the skin.
References
- Ladies' Home Journal: Can You Reverse Sun Damage?
- Cosmopolitan: Sun Damage SOS
- The Skin Cancer Foundation: Repair (and Even Reverse) Signs of Sun Damage
- The Skin Cancer Foundation: Sun Sensitivity — Are You at Risk?
- American Academy of Dermatology: Dermatologists Can Help Consumers Sort Through the Cosmeceutical Clutter
