Let's face it, we can be tough on our skin.
Every suntan, every cold and blustery winter day, every perfume or makeup application, even our smiles and frowns stress our skin, not to mention eye rubs and all of the lotions and potions we try during our lifetime.
After a while, even if you practice good skin care, your skin starts to show the results of a lifetime of protecting you from the elements.
A few days can add up to weeks over a lifetime of forgetting sunscreen or that one vacation when you had a really bad sunburn can come back to haunt you years later.
Age spots, also called liver spots, are flat, gray, brown or black.
The size varies but they are found usually where your body is exposed repeatedly to the sun - generally on your face, hands, shoulders and arms.
Age spots are common in people over 40 but can appear for younger people, as well.
If you already have spots, wrinkles or visible blood vessels from sun exposure, a number of skin treatments are available to reduce the appearance of these skin irregularities.
Traditional techniques involve chemical peels, dermabrasion or lightening creams, all of which destroy the epidermis to different degrees.
New technology, however, is non-invasive, using pulsed light and radiofrequency waves, and serves to stimulate collagen repair lessening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
To protect yourself, learn all the facts about sun exposure.
Be aware that UVA waves are present year-round, from sunrise to sunset.
Know that prevention is always easier than trying to reverse the damage.
You'll look and feel healthier when you keep your family and yourself protected from damaging UV rays.
Skin rejuvenation treatments such as the FotoFacial found at laser aesthetic centers, helps your skin turn back the clock by gently and safely removing older skin layers and promoting the growth of new skin that has been stimulated to look like it did when you were younger.
Skin rejuvenation treatments also target some of the more obvious and unsightly signs of aging skin, such as pigmented lesions using laser and radio frequency energies to target those signs of older skin and reduce or eliminate their appearance.
Skin rejuvenation treatments can combines the revitalizing effects of energy-based skin rejuvenation system with the gentle exfoliating properties of microdermabrasion to offer comfortable and effective skin renewal.
Treatments target darker, pigmented lesions and stimulate new collagen production and eliminate older, outer skin layers through microdermabrasion to reveal newly-toned and revitalized skin.
FotoFacial treatments are provided through advanced combined-source technology, which combines the beneficial effects of pulsed laser light with the extra safety and fine-tuned control of radio frequency energy.
Many alternative skin rejuvenation treatments rely on a single source or type of treatment, and fail to provide the full benefits of a combined treatment protocol.
The number of skin rejuvenation sessions required for a complete course of treatment varies based on the type of skin conditions being treated and individual characteristics of the patient.
Each skin rejuvenation treatment is followed in a few weeks by a microdermabrasion treatment.
The skin rejuvenation treatment evens your skin tone and increases collagen production, which makes your skin smoother, firmer and more vital and decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The microdermabrasion treatment complements the Skin Rejuvenation treatment by exfoliating the old, dead skin covering the renewed dermal layer far quicker than nature alone would act, bringing the new, more radiant layer to the surface.
What happens during the skin rejuvenation process is the specially-designed skin rejuvenation treatment head is applied to the skin, cooling the upper skin layers, while giving a soothing anesthetic effect.
Laser and radio frequency energy are applied in a series of short pulses, sometimes producing a sensation akin to a quick pinch.
To enhance the effectiveness of skin rejuvenation treatments, gentle exfoliation using microdermabrasion takes place between the skin rejuvenation treatments.
Microdermabrasion uses fine crystals that are blown over the skin and then immediately collected using the instrument's vacuum head, removing old skin and allowing the more youthful and radiant skin cells from the skin rejuvenation therapy to come to the surface of the skin more quickly.
A microdermabrasion treatment takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the area covered, and does not require any recovery period.
In addition to treatments, take preventative measures including staying out of the sun between 10 a.
m.
and 4 p.
m.
, when UV rays are most intense.
Cover up with a broad-brimmed hat, long sleeves and sunglasses that block UV rays.
Most important of all, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, even when it's cloudy.
Don't forget to apply it to commonly missed areas, such as ears, nose and top of your feet.
By taking a short amount of time to apply sunscreen every day, you can save time and money in the future by taking steps to prevent skin and health issues related to sun exposure.