Sun damage can leave your skin looking older than the age indicated by the calendar. All that time you spent soaking in the sun may now be catching up to you by causing the formation of things like dark spots that are scattered across your skin’s surface. If you are in a situation like this and would like to look younger, you may want to check with us about the benefits of Fraxel® therapy. It is a proven method for reversing the effects of sun damage to the skin. Understanding how it works becomes easier by looking at the specific causes of sun damage. Then, by looking at how Fraxel® treatments work, it becomes easier to see how the therapy is affective.
Sun damaged skin frequently leads to the appearance of dark spots on the skin. Many people refer to them as age spots, but the reality is that they were more likely caused by too much sun exposure. Even though they can make an individual look older, referring to them as sun spots is a more accurate description of their origin.
Your skin has various substances in it that fulfill a variety of purposes. Collagen helps to keep it tight. Elastin allows it to retract back to its former position when forces like pulling or stretching act upon it. Melanin is what provides pigment.
When you spend time in the sun working on your tan, you are actually stimulating the skin to produce additional melanin. It does so as a means of protecting itself against the harmful rays that the sun produces. The more melanin that is produced in the skin, the darker it will become. That golden tan that you once enjoyed was the result of increases melanin levels being evenly spread throughout the skin.
When the process of tanning is repeated over and over throughout the years, the skin will start to concentrate melanin in spots. It will no longer be evenly distributed. Additionally, these spots will not fade the way a tan does over time. Instead, you are left with permanent dark spots that make you look older. A younger appearance can be achieved by breaking up the excessive melanin. This is where Fraxel® treatments can be beneficial.
Fraxel® therapy works by using very tiny, microscopic laser pulses to penetrate the outer surface of the skin. The healing process is such that the skin benefits from the healthy cells that are left intact. In addition, the energy that penetrates the surface is absorbed by the lower skin layers. This process causes the concentrated melanin to break up and disperse. Over the next few days, the spots will dry up and flake off. You will be left with skin that looks younger and is free from much of the sun damage that prompted you to seek treatment.
In addition to reversing sun damage, Fraxel® therapy will help to stimulate the production of extra collagen in the skin, thereby eliminating many of the unwanted lines and wrinkles that have developed as well.
If your skin is showing the signs of sun damage, you should not despair. Instead, a conversation with our specialist at Mariposa Aesthetics & Laser Center about the ways Fraxel® may help can be worthwhile. Contact our office in Oklahoma City to schedule your first appointment and learn more!
