Derm RF

The Doctor is in …

August 20, 2012 at 4:26 pm Dr. Kathy Fields

By Dr. Kathy Fields

Tanorexic or beautifully bronzed, as tans fade, our summer skin follies come into full view. It’s true that when the endless summer days finally come to an end, we’ll all have some reckoning to do, but some of us will have more skin sins to pay for than others.

Dark, lightly toasted, red or just rosy, all sun exposure is damage and your skin has a duty to your overall health to fight back. Unfortunately, the battle scars of your skin’s fight to survive, which appear as brown spots and dullness on your face, often last longer than you’d like. What’s worse, sun damage is cumulative throughout your life … ignoring any brown spots today won’t mean they’ll fade away next summer, they’ll only become more pronounced.

Take a look at these two women*. As a dermatologist, just one look at this picture tells me more about their sun habits than their eating habits. They may be the same age chronologically, but you’d never know from their appearance. The sun is the ultimate aging accelerator and it shows!

Regardless of your past sun sins, there is hope … it is possible to get a fresh start and “clear the slate” of sun damage with a hydroquinone-based regimen to lighten, brighten, exfoliate and protect.

And if you’re craving that sun-kissed glow, don’t fret. Just do what I do and get it the healthy way—from a bottle. Using a sunless tanner to faux tan has real benefits that extend beyond bronzing. As you enjoy the remaining days of summer, just remember to cover up, seek shade and slather on the sunscreen. Practicing safe sun can not only save your looks, it can save your life.

*Photo from Throng, http://www.tvthrong.co.uk/2011/11/photo-gillian-mckeith-vs-nigella-lawson/.

Entry filed under: The Doctor is In. Tags: sun damage.