Top Five Treatments to Reverse Sun Damage at Glamour

Many of our patients who spend time in the sun during summer start showing signs of premature aging and sun damage on their skin by fall. Sunspots and discoloration are among the most common skin concerns after enjoying a sun-filled summer. Fortunately, Dr. Bachilo and the team at Glamour provide an array of simple non-surgical solutions that can effectively improve your skin’s texture and tone and rejuvenate your complexion, restoring radiance and luminosity to dull, sun-damaged skin.

Intense Pulsed Light: IPL Photofacial

IPL is a technology that medical practitioners widely use to perform aesthetic and therapeutic skin procedures such as hair removal, acne treatments, and photo rejuvenation. While IPL treatments share similarities with laser resurfacing treatments, a laser delivers just one focused wavelength to the treatment areas. In contrast, IPL treatments deliver a spectrum of light flashes encompassing various wavelengths. In addition, IPL treatments penetrate the deeper layers of skin without damaging the top layer.

IPL photofacial treatments provide a simple, affordable solution to sunspots, discoloration, and sun damage problems. IPL treatments produce visibly clearer, more radiant, youthful-looking skin. IPL also diminishes the appearance of spider veins and capillaries.

The pulsed light energy delivered by IPL treatments is absorbed by pigment cells in your skin, converting this energy into heat that breaks down the pigment cells to clear up sunspots, freckles and surface imperfections. IPL may be used anywhere on the body.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels remove dead skin cells, dirt, and surface imperfections using natural chemical acids, typically sourced from fruit and other plants. These acids gently lift the skin’s outermost layer, causing it to peel off, similar to how sunburned skin peels. Chemical peels can effectively treat any area of the face or body, including delicate areas as the throat, décolleté, and the back of the hands. There are various chemical peels, ranging from very gentle surface peels to deeper peels used to treat more stubborn skin imperfections.

The procedure is performed by first cleansing the skin thoroughly and then applying one or more chemical solutions to the skin. Depending on your skin type, the solution may include glycolic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, carbolic acid, and/or trichloroacetic acid. Once the solution is applied to the skin, you may experience a slight stinging sensation that can last about five to 10 minutes while the solution is working. If you experience discomfort, cold compresses may be applied to alleviate the stinging. You may also opt to take pain medication when getting a deeper peel.  Chemical peels produce dramatic but temporary improvements, and you’ll need follow-up treatments every few weeks to maintain optimal results.

Venus Viva Nanofractional Radiofrequency Resurfacing

The Venus Viva™ effectively removes surface imperfections, improves overall skin tone, and reduces lines and wrinkles, including vertical lip lines. In addition, it tightens lax skin and removes surface imperfections, diminishing the appearance of scars, wrinkles, enlarged pores, and/or stretch marks.

Venus Viva delivers low-level radio waves that trigger a thermal reaction in the deeper layers of skin, absorbing damaged cells and fibers, stimulating the production of healthy new skin cells, and triggering the production of collagen and elastin, two essential nutrients that support the skin’s elasticity and firmness by improving the skin’s cellular structure. As a result, Venus Viva reduces pore size, removes acne scarring and other surface imperfections, and gently erases sunspots, discoloration, and sun damage.

While individuals with darker skin tones and those prone to keloid scars may not be good candidates for IPL treatments or chemical peels, Venus Viva treatments are safe and effective for patients of all skin tones.

Microneedling with RadioFrequency

Microneedling is used to effectively reduce the appearance of surface skin imperfections such as acne scars, sunspots, discoloration, and stretch marks, and is typically less abrasive than chemical peels or laser procedures.

Microneedling is performed using a gentle device that gently perforates the skin’s surface with tiny micro-needles, producing a temporarily controlled wound on the skin’s surface and triggering collagen production. This improves skin tone and texture, diminishes the appearance of surface imperfections, and produces tighter, firmer, and smoother skin.

When combined with RadioFrequency (RF) therapy, the treatment achieves a more comprehensive skin improvement, particularly improved skin tightening.

Following a microneedling treatment, the skin continues to improve for several weeks due to increased collagen production, as well as increased hydration and suppleness. Microneedling may be used on all skin types and is often recommended for individuals who may not be good candidates for other procedures.

Microneedling with SkinPen & EVO

The SkinPen is the only Class II microneedling device approved by the FDA and is extremely versatile because it is a wireless, lightweight device that is especially appropriate for use in hard-to-reach areas such as the area around the nose.  The SkinPen’s micro-needles are adjustable and may be set to varying depths, allowing each patient to receive a fully personalized treatment. The Skin Pen is incredibly efficient at treating fine lines on the skin’s surface and common skin conditions such as sunspots and acne scars.

Like the Skin Pen, Dr. Bachilo also uses the Eclipse MicroPen® EVO, which treats all of the most common conditions affecting the surface of the skin, but also includes the additional benefit of collagen stimulation. Treatments with the EVO are safe, effective, and affordable, with minimal downtime and minimal discomfort. MicroPen® EVO treatments may be used on most skin types and produce radiant, natural-looking results.

If you’re ready to prepare your skin for the coming cooler months and erase the damage done during your summer fun in the sun, contact us at Glamour Plastic Surgery and Med Spa, where Dr. Bachilo provides the latest in skin resurfacing treatments to correct sun damage and leave your skin fresh and new. Our office is located in the greater Houston area and serves patients in Katy, Sugar Land, and nearby communities in Texas.