Sun Damage from Summer – What To Do Now

Now’s a good time to take stock of any sun damage accrued over the summer. Not sure what steps to take to repair and prevent sun damage? Here’s my best advice by age range:

Sun Damage Repair for those Aged 20s or 30s,

Consider a series of microdermabrasion or light peels to help your skin slough off those damaged cells faster. Here’s my guide to microdermabrasion and light peels so you know what you’re in for. Add your Vitamin A product back in at night (Retinol/Renova/Retin A/tretinoin, etc), if you stopped it for the summer. Here’s my picks for repair creams and Vitamin A cousin products that can help with sun damage. The generic prescription tretinoin and all the prescription retinoids like Renova have gotten very expensive.  This product, SkinceuticalsRetinol 1.0, is quite similar in strength to Retin A .25% but at a much better price.   If you’ve used prescription products before, you should do well with this.   If you haven’t used them before, consider starting with the SkinMedica Retinol .25 first, then going to the NeoCutis Nouvelle+ (.6%), and then this SkinCeuticals 1.0.

Sun Damage Repair for 40+ aged Skin

If you’re 40+, you may need more. Try a photorejuvenation treatment or series (light laser cousin called an IPL) to remove the brown spots. This also removes redness and enlarged blood vessels. Or, a Fraxel laser if you really got a lot of sun. More on how Fraxel works in my in-depth guide here.

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
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