How To Deal With Sun Damage

How Does the Sun Cause Damage?

The sun penetrates the skin with UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays delve deep into the dermis, affecting epidermal cells, and our tiny blood vessels and damaging the elastin and collagen fibres that give us our taut, hydrated and youthful appearance. We lose these fibres naturally as we get older, but the harm done by sun exposure speeds up sagging, wrinkling and discolouration, even if you’re still quite young. Let’s not forget UVB rays. They irradiate the top layer of our skin, which results in sunburn, but they also damage our DNA and cause precancerous cells to form.

You can read up on skin cancer symptoms here and here. If you have any concerns, talk to your GP, even if you think it’s probably nothing!

Hold Onto Your Hats to Avoid Sun Damage

Luckily, there are many easy ways to protect yourself against sun damage, beginning with staying in the shade during the hottest periods of the day, from about 11am to 3pm.

The sun is most intense during that time and it poses the most risk.

You can avoid this period of the day by leaving your picnic or your swim until late afternoon or early evening. Spring and summer afternoons are a wonderful time to be out, when everything is painted in a rosy golden glow!

You can also wear clothing that covers your arms and legs and ensure that you use sun cream on any exposed skin. We recommend one with an SPF of over 30, ideally more.

The SPF indicates how long the substance will offer you protection, so the higher the better.

Remember, you can still suffer sun damage when you are splashing about in the pool or in the sea, so a bottle of suncream, aftersun lotion and a wide-brimmed sun hat are all essential items.

Treating Sun Damage

At Pure Perfection Clinic we have a variety of technologies that can treat signs of sun damage, especially in cases where it has caused premature ageing. It may seem counterintuitive, but we use light exposure to treat sun damage!

Our Dermalux LED treatments use red and blue LED light energy to increase the production of elastin and collagen, restoring stretchiness, reducing redness and firming the complexion.

Similarly, Lumecca by InMode reduces wear and tear by using Intense Pulsed Light. The IPL tightens the skin, breaks down pigmentation, removes redness and eliminates spider veins.

If you want to read more, the experts at Consulting Room really know what they're talking about and have put together some sunscreen, Dermalux LED, pigmentation, complexion, (IPL) Skin rejuvenation, spider veins, radiofrequency and microneedling treatment FAQs just for you.

If you have more questions, you can use the sunscreen, dermalux LED, pigmentation, complexion, (IPL) Skin rejuvenation, spider veins, radiofrequency and microneedling treatment questions feature to talk to our panel of trained medical experts.

If you're keen to get started with any of these treatments right away then you're in luck - those clever folks also have a list of trusted, accredited sunscreen, dermalux LED, pigmentation, complexion, (IPL) Skin rejuvenation, spider veins, radiofrequency and microneedling clinics in your area.

Sara Cheeney is a medically trained nurse practitioner, ZO Skin Health Faculty Member & UK Trainer and owner of the award-winning Pure Perfection Clinic in Chester, North Wales.

The experience with her own skin and confidence as a teenager was the starting point of the journey of becoming dual-trained as a nurse and a beauty therapist. Whilst studying the two she found that each profession could significantly enhance the other in terms of greater patient satisfaction. Sara consistently seeks out new knowledge, training and innovative technology that has helped pioneer Pure Perfection Clinic into the award-winning clinic it is today.

Give Pure Perfection Clinic a call on 01244 917 256 or visit pureperfectionclinic.com for more information.

How To Deal With Sun Damage

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