Once the damage has been done, can it be reversed? The good news, according to Dr Stephanie Williams, is yes. ‘After sun exposure, a cream containing retinol will help repair photo damage, improve pigmentation and collagen metabolism’, she explains. She recommends using it two or three times a week from the age of 30 onwards.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A which is now used in many high-tech face creams as it has been proven to help smooth lines, wrinkles and skin tone by increasing cell production and collagen. Dr Williams recommends Skinceuticals Retinol 0.5, £37 (SkinCeuticals), which contains high concentrations of pure retinol in a lightweight, moisturising formula.
However, retinol is photosensitizing, so it is really important to wear high SPF protection. ‘Off the shelf’ formulations can be used long term without causing damage to the skin, but because the concentration of retinol is relatively small, don’t expect miracles. For more serious damage, a dermatologist can prescribe retinoic acid which is much stronger and to be used shorter term.
Retinol can also be irritating, especially for sensitive skins, but there are other products which contain alternative ingredients such as anti-oxidants, that do a similar job. Apply at night, or if using during the day, apply underneath your sun protection.
. Olay Definity Intense Repairing Anti-Ageing Serum, £26.99, helps reduce discolouration and wrinkles when used everyday.
. Skinceuticals Retexturing Activator, £70, is a skin resurfacing serum
. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex, £36, helps repair damage and restores the skin.
But what can you do when creams are not enough? ‘Retinol creams will help repair early signs of damage,’ explains Dr Gupta, ‘but for deeper lines, resurfacing treatments are more intense. They reactivate collagen production in the deeper layers of the skin and destroy the surface layers to smooth out lines and wrinkles.’
Dr Mike Comins recommends either IPL (Intense Pulse Light) or laser treatments for repairing sun damage, but stresses the importance of protecting your skin in the first place. ‘IPL and laser are the best treatments for sun damage, but both are useless if you continue to excessively expose your skin to the sun’.
IPL uses pulsed light and lasers to improve the tone and texture of the skin. The wavelengths of light penetrate the skin to the exact depth of the sun damage and as the light is absorbed it is converted into heat which breaks down and destroys damaged cells, while also boosting collagen production. Dr Comins recommends the LimeLight Facial, from £200, available at The Private Clinic for information and branches in London, Manchester and Birmingham). This pain-free treatment can target specific areas on the face, neck, chest, arms and hands and penetrates the skin to the exact depth of the damage. A course of six treatments is recommended, although you should see some improvement after the first treatment. The Court House Clinics also offer IPL with their Intense Pulsed Light Skin Rejuvenation treatment, £250 for a half hour treatment, and are available across the UK. For more information view our video coverage of an IPL treatment at the Court House Clinic.
One of the most reliable and high-tech treatments for sun damage is laser. Dr Puneet Gupta recommends having one intense laser treatment once a year. A brand new treatment, ActiveFX, £4,000, (http://www.cadoganclinic.com/), previously used by the NHS including St John’s Institute of Dermatology at St Thomas’s Hospital, London, to treat scarring from burns and acne, uses the UltraPulse CO2 fractional laser to resurface the skin. The laser delivers thousands of tiny pulses of high-energy light which peels off layers of the skin’s surface, creating a layer of new, healthier skin. It can be targeted specifically to problem areas resulting in less recovery time – up to week – and results are immediate lasting for up to five months.
Next week....Is there such a thing as a safe tan?
