Undoing Sun Damage
Can You Sunbathe Without Consequences?

It's hard to resist the allure of the Miami sun. It feels wonderful to lie there soaking up rays, relaxing your body and letting your mind drift happily to thoughts of light and warmth.

But you pay the consequences:

• Brown age spots
• Blotchiness
• Broken blood vessels
• Freckles
• Wrinkles
• Dryness

Sunblock Is No Guarantee
Consequences like the above accrue even if you apply sunblock. Studies show that most people apply too little sunblock, and don't apply it often enough. Plus, the more you go in and out of the water, the likelier it is you'll spend stretches of unprotected time in the sun.

Medical Science Can Help
While we'd never want to undo your pleasurable moments in the sun, we can undo some of the damage the sun inflicts. Your generation is lucky. Medical science has devised ways to restore fresh, smooth, youthful complexions.

Let us show you the ways we can help:

1. Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatments
Known under the brand name Fotofacial, this treatment works on many levels to reverse sun damage. It lightens brown spots, capillaries, and diffused redness in the skin, as well as the textural changes that result from too many solar rays. On a deeper level, it sends light and radiofrequency energy to the layers where collagen is produced, stimulating new cell growth. The benefits are immediate, and continue for months after the treatments (3 or 4 for optimum damage control).

2. BOTOX®
Botox® can minimize and even prevent the appearance of frown and forehead lines. Because Botox® relaxes muscles, frowning can eliminate the crease between your eyebrows. Even if you already have frown lines, Botox® can smooth them out, sometimes completely. While Botox® lasts for about three months, with regular injections your treatments might be spaced up to six months apart.

3. Fillers
Injected fillers add volume and "plump up" the skin. Restylane and newer fillers like Juvéderm can last for up to six months and require no allergy testing.

4. Exfoliation
Exfoliation removes the dead skin cells that hide your natural radiance. At the same time, the process sends signals to cells in the lower skin layers, telling them to increase their rate of replication and boost your skin's fresh appearance. A microdermabrasion treatment with a light chemical peel will do wonders to restore your complexion.

5. Home Maintenance
A good home skincare regimen has been proven to prevent, slow and even reverse sun damage. A key component: retinol-based products that help complexions look brighter, smoother, and more even. Vitamin C creams also help. We carry a number of products that contain the highest-grade pharmaceutical ingredients for soothing damaged skin.

Since different skin types respond to different products, let us advise you on this.

As summer turns to fall, we urge you to continue to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. If you have concerns about sun damage, or any issues about your skin, be sure to give us a call.