July 9, 2020
Summer is here and with it comes longer days and lots of outdoor activities. You’re geared up for days of gardening or relaxing in the backyard with the family. Maybe you’re taking a vacation or spending your days on the beach or by the lake. The season pretty much revolves around an activity we love: fun in the sun!
Some of us wait patiently for this time of year and post #throwbackthursday pics from last summer’s vacay to power us through those dreary, cold months of winter that never seem to end! We get it.
We also “get” that according to The Skin Cancer Foundation, 90% of skin aging is caused by the sun.
Read that stat again: NINETY. PERCENT.
The reality is this: It’s 2020, y’all— and by this point, we all know the importance of incorporating sunscreen into our daily skincare routine, so we’ll spare you that for now, with the quick reminder that the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who used SPF 30 on a daily basis could protect against both skin aging and skin cancer.
For the purpose of this blog, we’re going to talk about those times you haven’t exactly followed your usual sun protection regimen to a T. (It’s okay. We’ve all done it.)
Maybe you forgot to bring enough sunscreen to reapply every two hours (like the Association of American Dermatology suggests).
Perhaps you had a plan to get “just a little bit of color” before your upcoming trip.
Maybe you even went out without any sunscreen at all because “it’s cloudy”.
Being guilty of any of these “solar sins” means you’ve fallen for one of the many, widespread myths about proper protection from the sun’s damaging rays. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, which is why we have included sources and links to extra reading for you at the bottom of the page.
The short-term effects of sun damage to the skin can be the tender, pink-hued sunburn that we know all too well but the long-term effects of sun damage are often a much greater cause for concern.
Sunburns fade (or peel) away, but the unseen damage done below the surface can have a much more permanent impact on the overall health and appearance of our skin. This is the real truth about UV damage that leaves us feeling like we want to put on our biggest sunglasses and hide under the brim of our floppy hat forever.
But we don’t have to do that and neither do you.
Good news! A ton of improvement can be had by using the right skincare products and perhaps even opting for a more rigorous treatment plan for those of us with more concern or more advancing appearance of the photo-aging process.
Rough, dry, patchy, dull, splotchy skin.
Fine lines and wrinkles.
Hyperpigmentation.
The appearance of veins.
Droopier, sagging skin.
Whatever the case, we aren’t your Momma and we aren’t here to say “told ya so” this time around, but instead, to offer some suggestions for how we can help long after the tan lines fade and the damage has been done.
Youthful skin is plump, firm, and lifted.
As we age, the collagen and elastic fibers responsible for that begin to weaken. Sun damage accelerates this process, resulting in the fine lines and wrinkles we associate with premature aging.
There is a whole spectrum of sun rays that cause damage in different ways.
UVA rays (think A for aging) are the “deep” rays that penetrate and cause damage beyond the surface of our skin. In fact, they penetrate not only the surface of our skin, but also through glass, clothing and cloud coverage. These are the rays that are most responsible for the sun damage that results in wrinkles.
The effects we commonly associate with sunburns (painful, red skin that can result in peeling and blistering) are mostly a product of UVB exposure. UVB (think B for burn) are the rays that are strongest between 10am-4pm. The SPF rating system for sunscreen measures protection against this harmful ray.
A full solar defense starts with broad spectrum sunscreen that guards against UVA and UVB rays by using a mix of physical and chemical blockers.
Retail locations are cluttered with beauty and skincare products, each promising the user smoother, tighter skin but cosmetic solutions don’t give real results here.
At Debbie Russell Aesthetics, our approach to reversing the effects of photo-aging are led by the efforts of medical professionals. Experts who understand the science behind the aging process, how to stop it in its tracks and roll back the clock on existing sun damage. We carry only the highest quality products that are not just approved by dermatologists but that are actually formulated by them. (More about our obsession with Dr. Obagi’s ZO Skin Health / line in an upcoming blog!)
Fillers, Photodynamic Cosmetic Procedures, HydraFacial, Platelet Rich Plasma treatments, Chemical Peels, and Red Light Therapy are just a few of the ways we incorporate the absolute latest in skin therapy treatment and technologies to provide you with the most advanced care possible.
Our team is a knowledgeable authority, whether recommending products or creating a course of treatment to address your sun spots, texture, fine lines and wrinkles — all signs of summers well spent. These trademark signs of sun damage don’t have to outlast the golden memories we make on those summer days in the sunshine and with our help, they won’t!
Setting up a consultation is the first step to a dynamic, therapeutic approach for better skin.
Ready for your best summer skin yet?!
Call Debbie Russell Aesthetics at (334) 557-0700 or email Debbie@AestheticsAL.com and let’s get started with your summer skin rejuvenation!
Sources and Additional Reading:
- Infographic courtesy of ZO Skin Health
https://zo-skinhealth.datadial.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Info-SUN-DAMAGE.jpg
- Sun Damage Facts & Statistics according to The Skin Cancer Foundation
https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/
- Sun Safety by John Hopkins Medicine
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sun-safety
- Medical Journal and Study on Sunscreen and the Prevention of Aging
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-158-11-201306040-00001?articleid=1691732
