Treating Sun-Damaged Skin @ The Lewis Obi Plastic Surgery Clinic (Series of 4 blogs)

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

aphrodites

Winter is the perfect time to treat sun-damaged skin. The sun is less intense and most of us have less sun exposure now than any other time of the year. There are many ways to treat brown patches, liver spots, superficial redness, uneven skin texture and fine lines and wrinkles.

There are: (1) topical products-over-the-counter & medical-grade creams (2) superficial and light chemical peels (3) light-based photo-facials and (4) deeper TCA (trichloro-acetic acid) peels. After a consultation with Dr. Obi or our Nurse Practitioner Michelle Zager, the treatment may be tailored to the patient depending amount of sun-damage, skin type, desired speed of clearance, the availability of –down-time” or recovery time and cost.

Topical Treatment for Sun-Damaged Skin
(Part 1 of 4)

Topical treatment is seemingly the easiest of all treatments. Products Vitamin C and hydroquinone are highly effective for fading brown pigmentation and when mixed with a retinol, assists in tightening the skin to smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

skin medica vitamin C

Medical-grade skin lighteners contain 4% Hydroquinone. This is a prescriptive strength skin lightener. A single pea-size amount can be applied to the face daily to assist in evening out the over-all tone of the skin on the face. Caution should be taken to wash hands thoroughly after application as the residual may also bleach towels and face cloths.

hydroquinone

Medical-strength skin lightening agent sold only through your physician’s office or by prescription.

obagi clear 4

Obagi Clear 4

 obagi before and after

Before and after Obagi topical skin lightener treatment.

Topical treatment alone, even with medical-grade skin lighteners is not a quick process. It will take 9-12 weeks for noticeable improvement. Of course the most effective treatment for sun-damage is prevention!! Be sure to use a good sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 with active ingredients of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. And, of course, reapplication throughout the day is essential!!