[imagesource: Ralf Nau]

Summer is here and so are the holidays, which means relaxing by the pool, braais, and days outside enjoying the sun.

By now, we’re wise to the fact that sunscreen is essential to skin health while we enjoy everything that the season has to offer.

That’s because, no matter what your skin type, sooner or later those harmful UV rays are going to take their toll.

Despite this, a number of people still apply sunscreen only when the sun is out and the weather is fine. The truth of the matter is that, even on an overcast day, or when you’re sitting in the shade, you’re exposing your skin to UV rays.

There are two kinds of UV rays that can damage your skin. UVA is deep penetrating, causes long-term damage to the skin and skin cancers, and makes up about 95% of the UV radiation that we are exposed to.

UVB is a shorter wave light that causes sunburn as well as skin cancers.

Over time, you develop sun damage.

When we hear the words “sun damage”, many of us think of mature skin speckled with pigmentation. However, sun damage can manifest as early as your twenties and doesn’t just present as dark marks.

So, you might want to get ahead of that.

How to spot the signs of sun damage:

Unprotected sun exposure damages your skin in many ways.

It degrades your body’s collagen and elastin, resulting in fine lines, wrinkles, and a loss of firmness.

UV rays can also damage the walls of your blood vessels causing visible broken capillaries and redness. An impaired barrier function affects your skin’s ability to retain moisture leading to dry, rough skin.

Then there’s pigmentation (or, dark marks) which is caused by an overproduction of melanin (the pigment that gives your skin its colour) which travels from the deeper layers of your skin to the surface.

How to do something about it:

Prevention is better than cure (wear sunscreen, always, in all weather), but if you’re late to the party, there are still ways to prevent further sun damage or treat existing sun damage.

Skin Renewal, for example, offers a number of in-office Pigmentation & Sun Damage Solutions.

All of these solutions are currently on special, FYI, with massive discounts on treatments, so you might want to check them out sooner rather than later.

Your journey to correcting sun damage starts with a consultation with one of the Skin Renewal doctors who will assess your skin, and find the right treatment or combination of treatments suited to your specific needs.

Here are the experts with how it all works:

If you have mild sun damage, you might get great results from our Essential Pigmentation & Sun Damage Solution. It includes either a Limelight or Photo Genesis treatment. Both are IPL treatments and are a brilliant way to target mild pigmentation as well as broken blood vessels.

If your situation is a little more serious, you might be a good candidate for their Advanced PLUS Pigmentation and Sun Damage Solution.

It consists of two different types of peels to help lift pigmentation improve your skin’s texture plus a Laser Genesis treatment. The latter can boost your skin’s collagen content in a way that softens wrinkles and improves firmness while also reducing the look of pigmentation.

That’s two ends of the spectrum, with a range of options in between.

The bottom line is that your skin is precious and you need to take care of it, so if you’re struggling with sun damage, or you think you are showing mild signs of sun damage, it’s best to nip it in the bud.

To get started, make an appointment with either a doctor or therapist at Skin Renewal. 

Once you’ve identified the problem and know how to deal with it, you’re on your way to a more youthful-looking, evenly toned, and rejuvenated complexion.