While outdoor enthusiasts may enjoy soaking up the summer sun, their time spent under the rays can leave skin damaged come fall. That is why fall months are a great time to repair the harm done by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.
“Overexposure to the sun accelerates the aging process and takes its toll on our body’s largest organ,” said Victor Cimino, MD, FACS, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Loyola University Health System. “Some of the most immediately visible signs of aging occur on the face.”
The following skin-care regimen is helpful to properly care for and protect sensitive facial skin.
-Cleanse the face in the morning and evening with a soap-free cleanser. Soap strips moisture from the skin while facial cleansers provide a gentler alternative.
-Nourish the skin with an antioxidant moisturizer. This will replenish, firm and hydrate the skin.
-Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher all year long.
-Drink a sufficient amount of water to keep that youthful glow. Recommendations include drinking roughly half of your body weight in ounces of water or more, if you exercise regularly.
-Wear protective clothing outdoors such as a wide-brimmed hat.
-Stay out of the direct sun during the midday hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), especially in tropical climes.
-Consult with a physician or aesthetician, who can further tailor a daily skin regimen for your skin type.
Physicians today can offer a range of procedures from comprehensive scar revision and hair removal to the use of facial fillers and botulin toxin treatments to manage cosmetic imperfections.
Fruit-derived chemical peels also provide a non-invasive method to remove dead skin cells and rejuvenate the skin. This procedure can be done over the lunch hour. Skin may peel for two to three days, as older skin falls away and healthier skin emerges leaving a healthy glow.
A non-ablative laser treatment will kill damaged cells and rid the skin of brown spots that come from the sun. The laser penetrates the skin and corrects it by heating up and destroying cells. This involves a series of five treatments once a month to correct deeper layers of the skin. The laser treatment also repairs broken capillaries, which result from sun exposure, and it can rebuild collagen and elastin, which gives the skin a more youthful appearance.
These procedures are available at the Loyola Center for Aesthetics. This facility combines the expertise and resources of a major academic medical center with the convenience and comfort of an outpatient setting. Loyola offers a full range of services from anti-aging procedures, laser hair removal and eyelash-enhancing treatments to cosmetic facial and body surgeries. The center also provides new patients with free skin analyses and consultations. For more information, call (888) LUHS-888 or visit www.loyolamedicine.org