How to Reverse Sun Damage

Sun causes damage to your skin's DNA. It causes the cells to become dysfunctional. Damaged skin cells produce less collagen and elastin, the substances which make the skin healthy and plump. In addition, the top layer of your skin may become thinner or discolored and your cells may not be able to slough off the dead layers. In the worse case scenario, the sun can cause skin cancer.

Things You'll Need

• Retinoid
• Exfoliator
• Green Tea
• Vitamin C

Instructions

1. Get a prescription for a topical retinoid such as Retin-A or Vitamin A cream. They normalize the damaged cells caused by sun, revive elastin and collagen, plump up the top layer of your skin, increase blood flow to the area and help your body eliminate dead skin cells.

2. Exfoliate. This practice can slow down the clock on sun damage by eliminating dull, flaky skin.

3. Apply topical green tea and Vitamin C to your skin. They are antioxidants and neutralize the toxic by-products that sun causes in your skin.

4. Get laser treatments to improve redness, wrinkles and uneven skin tone. The laser will reduce the appearance of broken capillaries, rosacea and spots.

5. Consider chemical peels or microdermabrasion to combat the texture changes that accompany sun damage. Sun can make your skin thick and leathery, but these treatments can reveal smoother skin.

6. Wear sunscreen whenever you're outside. This will protect your skin from any additional damage. It will also stop early changes from occurring in your skin.

References

• Ladies Home Journal
• CNN
• American Academy of Dermatology

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish