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You might think that skin damage is a natural part of aging, but you’re only partially right. A very small percentage of skin problems is caused by genetics or the general passage of time. What does cause the damage is exposure to damaging elements, like the sun. Obviously, older people have had more sun exposure, which is why you might see more wrinkles, discolored spots, and other skin problems as you age. But the good news is there are lots of anti-aging techniques you can use to fight back against that damage.
Preventing Sun Damage
Of course, the best course of action is to prevent as much sun damage as you can in the first place so that you don’t have to treat the damage later. Even if you think it’s too late and your skin is already damaged, you should still protect it in the future, especially since less sun exposure means less risk of skin cancer.
There are several steps you can take to protect your skin. Wearing sunscreen whenever you go out is the biggest, even if it seems to be cloudy out. Wearing hats and sunglasses can also help a lot. I just bought this rash guard for SPF protection to bring on an upcoming trip where I’ll be outside and in the water a lot:
If it’s hard to remember to put on sunscreen by itself, get yourself a daily moisturizer that contains sunscreen instead. Then you only have to remember to apply one product instead of two. It’s even better if the product you choose contains retinoids, vitamins, and minerals. Those can all help to both repair and prevent skin damage. Here’s a few good ones I recommend:
Reversing Skin Damage with Laser and Light Procedures
If some damage is already done, one great way to reverse it is with laser procedures. Those aesthetic skincare machines can treat many different skin issues caused by sun, chemicals, and other environmental factors. Wrinkles are the most common, but age spots and other blemishes can also be lightened or removed entirely with lasers. So can old scars from things like acne outbreaks.
Lasers themselves come in many forms, including ablative and non-ablative devices. Those are lasers affecting the skin’s surface and lasers that focus more on deep tissue treatment. However, lasers are also closely related to another form of treatment called intense pulsed light, or IPL. An IPL treatment uses light to treat the skin, just like a laser does. The difference is that IPL is always non-ablative, meaning that it won’t affect the surface of your skin. Also, IPL devices are gentler, which means they can be used on more areas, but lasers are more accurate, which means that they are better for use on difficult or precise areas, such as wrinkles near the eyes.
Using Chemical Peels to Reverse Signs of Aging
If you don’t feel comfortable having a laser treatment or turn out not to be a good candidate for one, you might qualify for a chemical peel instead. Chemical peels use acid to get rid of top layers of skin. Remember that your outer layer of skin is mostly dead anyway. We all shed dead skin cells every day. This process will just help you to shed dead or damaged cells faster. Just keep in mind that some chemical peels remove more layers than others.
Remember to Keep Your Options Open
When it comes to skin treatments, it’s always important to keep an open mind. Don’t rule out any possibility, whether it’s one of the ones listed above or something like microdermabrasion, fillers, or Botox injections. You never know which option will give you the best results until you discuss all of them with your skincare professional. Then you can make a final treatment decision.