Summer fun in the sun can leave us with more than a highlight reel to swoon over. From brown spots to dullness, it always seems that what was going so right with your skin on Memorial Day, is going so wrong come Labor Day. Just at the time you need to look your most polished to dive back into city life, you’re trying to figure out how to adjust your beauty routine to wipe away your summer sins.
With many well-heeled Manhattanites slated to make their post-summer skin pilgrimage to cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, we asked this notable technology guru what’s new in the quest to reverse the repercussions of sun damage and turn back the clock. “The most important cosmetic and health enhancement that one can do for any skin type is always removing the radiation damage of the sun,” says Dr. Frank. “Contrary to what one may think, it takes at least a decade or two to see the damage that is done from a summer in the sun. Brown spots, red spots, dullness of the skin and thinning collagen that leads to fine lines are all key attributes of a life of outdoor pleasures. Fortunately, we have ‘the fixes’ not only cosmetically, but also in reducing one’s risk for non-melanoma skin cancer.”
While there is no single device that can accomplish it all, a combination game plan of multiple technologies that target sun damage, stimulate skin cell turnover and aid in healthy renewal are the goal. “Fractional resurfacing technologies, such as Fraxel Dual, remain the gold standard,” says Dr. Frank. “Performed in under one hour with topical anesthesia, this procedure resurfaces the skin non-ablatively — meaning that no open skin is created — allowing for a recovery easily covered with makeup. Depending on one’s tolerance for downtime, treatment can be tailored to remove the level of sun damage relevant to the patient’s needs.” Dr. Frank continues. “There’s always a bit of a ‘no pain, no gain’ attitude when it comes to resurfacing skin, meaning that multiple treatments can be performed in small, no-downtime recoveries, or one singular treatment resulting in total skin rejuvenation can be performed with four or five days of what appears to be sunburned skin.”
It’s important to consider combination treatments, as they’re often most effective. “Most commonly with general resurfacing, combination treatments using other devices optimize results and downtime,” says Dr. Frank. “For example, treating broken capillaries, redness and overall texture can be done in symphony to optimize results. “Although the face, neck and chest are the most popular areas for these treatments, people are increasingly looking to treat other areas of the body. Novel technologies, such as BBL Hero, developed for big surface areas, give us the ability for rapid, painless treatments to improve pigment, redness and overall skin quality, on the body’s largest organ.” With today’s advanced technologies offering little downtime and minimal discomfort, you’ll be able to say hello to fall with renewed skin and renewed confidence to boot.