I’ll have one “Re-Do” please. Don’t you wish life offered “redos” on things you wished you hadn’t done? I’d like to roll through the drive through fast change window and ask for the “Re-Do lunch special”. The little squawk box says, “No problem-we can offer you a redo to erase that segment and if you’d like to add a mineral water that will be just $XYZ and please drive forward to the next window”. I bet it would be a hit, alas, that’s not the way life works!
I spent a lot of time in the sun when I was younger. Growing up in South Texas living within biking distance of the beautiful and famous Gulf coast water shore was a wonderful thing. I had great summers, falls, winters and springs. Hey-we get nice weather in South Texas. Unfortunately, we might not have been as smart about making sure we had sunscreen protection. I know for sure I didn’t. Of course, now that I know about how important it is to protect your skin from the damaging effects of UVA/UVB rays, exposing my skin to sun without using a powerful sunscreen would be unthinkable. I’m an avid user of SPF everyday – no matter what the weather outside looks like. I know that UVA ,(AKA-you will age) rays are even more damaging than the UVB (AKA-you will burn) rays. UVA penetrates through glass and even clothing! These are the rays you can’t see but cause big problems down the line with accelerated aging to the skin. Bummer!
Fortunately, the news is not all bad! You can improve the signs of previous sun damage and help to prevent new damage with a few simple daily steps. Sun damage accounts for the majority of premature aging to our skin like brown spots, uneven texture, and contributes a whole bunch to those unattractive wrinkles and sagging skin. Look at it this way, you’re already brushing and flossing – so a couple of more minutes in the morning or evening is a small price to pay for healthy skin. Like a friend of mine says, “Hey-do you feel any better when you eat your broccoli? No but you do it anyway because it’s good for you.” Maintenance is a part of life my friend!
- Topical application of antioxidants like Vitamin C & E can help erase previous sun damage, lighten brown spots and even out your skin tone. This is not an overnight fix so daily use is required. We can’t make antioxidants so we need to consume them in our diet and apply antioxidants to the areas of skin exposed to UVA and UVB rays for optimum results.
- For more stubborn discoloration, look for products that are specifically formulated with natural lightening and brightening ingredients like arbutin, daisy flower, bearberry, lemon and licorice roots extracts, vitamin A, azeleic, lactic, kojic or salicylic acids (I use our ILLUSTRE ESSENZA hydroquinone free Super Face & Body Brightening Serum on mine) . These are generally available OTC (over the counter) without a prescription. For really tough discoloration caused by sun and or hormonal imbalances, see your physician or dermatologist for more powerful options that are only offered by prescription and with MD supervision. And remember, your skin won’t know the difference between a dark spot or a clear spot so paint within the lines when using your brightening and lightening topical products. As in all things – less sometimes is really best plus you’ll save on your product consumption.
- Hydroquinone – it’s been around for decades, however, recent studies suggest long term topical application may lead to undesirable affects. The use of hydroquinone is controversial at best! The literature search on hydroquinone as a skin lightening agent suggests that possible long-term effects like carcinogenesis may be expected. For many years Hydroquinone was the “gold standard” for topical skin lightening properties however, with modern advances in science and a trend towards more natural less toxic ingredients for their lightening and brightening properties, there are still many viable options worth considering with less side effects.
- Avoid sun exposure and use your SPF 30 daily. No amount of topically applied brightening and lightening ingredients can stop new sun damage from occurring. If you have brown spots from sun damage or melasma (medical terminology for darkening of the facial skin, most commonly affecting the apples of the cheeks, the mid forehead, jaw line and areas around the mouth) you have to avoid sun exposure! The causes of melasma are quite simply overachieving/overactive melanocytes. These pigment producing cells become stimulated to produce extra unwanted melanin resulting in patchy discoloration. Triggers include estrogen supplements, birth control pills, pregnancy, cellular hypersensitivity to normal estrogen levels and sun exposure.
So about that “Re-Do”, well, I might not be able to completely erase the previous stuff I wished I’d known not to do, however, memories of riding my bike on a clear summer day with my good friend Jayne in South Texas back in my high school days with nary a cloud in the sky are pretty high on my list of good times! So now I know better (and hopefully you do too) so I put on my ILLUSTRE ESSENZA SPF 30, my big sun glasses and still go out and enjoy the day - so I don’t have to worry about that ‘re-do” drive through window!
Pam Tirado, President, Product Developer, Luminoso Studios ILLUSTRE ESSENZA
