Most people know how to treat a sunburn. You can soothe the affected area with cool compresses and slather on aloe vera to hydrate, alleviate pain, and help the healing process. Some ibuprofen couldn’t hurt, either, if you have a particularly painful sunburn. However, the effects of this UV damage aren’t over when your sunburn goes away. Severe sunburns and even frequent tanning can lead to sun damage that causes your skin to wrinkle and sag prematurely. This process is called photoaging and it can make you look a lot older than you actually are (just look at “Tanning Mom” Patricia Krentcil, who at 45 looks closer to 65 thanks to years of treatments at tanning salons). Luckily, there are a slew of products on the market aimed at reversing the signs of aging, and sun damage in particular. Here are just a few treatment tips that should help you get your skin looking young and fresh in short order, even if you’ve flirted with the sun for years.
- Wear sunblock. The best defense is a good offense, and further sun damage will only exacerbate your problem. So it’s important to start wearing a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunblock with a high SPF now to ensure that no further harm is done to your skin. Wear a broad-spectrum sunblock that is also environmentally friendly. There are sunscreens that contain reef-safe zinc oxide ingredients that protect you from getting sunburned. Since it’s practically impossible to stay covered all the time (and who would want to?) this is a good way to keep the sun’s harmful rays from further aging your skin. You put it on your kids, so why wouldn’t you use it yourself? These days it’s not hard to find multi-use products that offer an [Read more…]
