Have years of sun exposure left your skin dull, rough, and dry? Are you wondering how to heal sun damage? If you answered yes to these questions, you may be a good candidate for laser skin resurfacing. Laser skin resurfacing can reverse visible sun damage and have your skin glowing once more.

Signs of Sun Damaged Skin

Over time, the sun’s UV rays can damage the DNA of skin cells, and alter skin tone and texture. Sun damage is a major contributor to the premature aging of the skin. Common signs of sun damage include crepey skin, wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, uneven skin tone, dry skin, and discoloration.

How Can You Reverse Sun Damage?

Laser skin resurfacing is an effective treatment used to reverse sun damage. It can be tailored to satisfy the different needs of each patient with minimal downtime and long lasting results.

Laser skin treatment can improve:

• Irregular pigmentation
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Large pores
• Skin clarity
• Dull tone and rough texture

Treatment Details

Treatment time ranges from 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the area being treated. Doctors usually recommend 1-2 treatments to achieve the best results, but this may vary depending on patient’s aesthetic goals.

The laser treatment is not painful and is usually well-tolerated by patients. A topical anesthetic is applied to the skin about 30 minutes before the procedure, and this helps minimize any discomfort during treatment.

How Lasers Treat Sun Damage

The laser has ablative and non-ablative wavelengths that work together to target both the deep and superficial layers of the skin. The ablative wavelength targets the upper layer of the skin and creates tiny zones of skin while leaving the surrounding area intact. This helps to improve textural irregularities and reduce pores. The non-ablative wavelength penetrates down to the deeper dermal layer to target pigment issues and also stimulates collagen.

The heat generated within the deep layers also starts the skin renewal process, and so the body generates new, fresh cells to replace the treated cells. The new cells enhance the overall appearance of the skin making it clearer and smoother.

In the days following treatment the tiny pixels of treated skin will rise to the surface and eventually flake off.

After Treatment

The results of laser resurfacing can last for several years. However, patients are advised to use a broad spectrum sunscreen regularly, and adopt a healthy skin care regimen to maintain results.