Sun Damage

The sun damages skin in several highly significant ways. It does this by activating free radicals, which are the molecules that attack the lining of all cells. Free radicals are responsible for most illness, aging and death. They literally "tear apart" the skin. Alcohol and smoking and stress activate free radicals, but their biggest source, where the skin is concerned is the sun.

The sun alters skin structure. That is why skin cancer is usually the result of exposure to the sun. But let's just consider what the sun does to the looks of your skin.

The sun cause the top layer of dead skin to thicken as a "protective response" and this becomes stiff, un-bending and rough.

• Sun isn't stopped by this "protective" dead skin. It goes further to the living epidermis and thins it from its normal 20 cell layer to about 2 layers. You acquire a thinned skin look.
• In a healthy epidermis, these 20 cell layers are organised like a well-built brick wall. The sun destroys this organisation. Chaos in structure and cell size shows that the sun has actually altered DNA. This is considered a pre cancerous condition. Your skin takes on an uneven texture.
• Chaos spreads below the epidermis where the dermis responds to sun by forming little piles of pigment known as age spots - also considered a pre cancerous condition.
• In this lower layer of skin, elastin, the stretchy net that holds your skin in place, is torn down by sun exposure. This is how sun causes sagging of the skin.
• Collagen resides in the dermis. Collagen is the protein - the basic substance of which the skin is made. The sun destroys collagen. This is how wrinkles form.
• The network of capillaries that feed skin with oxygen and nutrients is devastated by sun exposure. Capillaries become sparse, distorted and irregular. The blood supply to your skin is cut off. It can't heal. Your skin takes on a sickly pallor.

There are many alternative non-surgical methods of rejuvenating the skin available. Fortunately, we have a treatment that can virtually reverse the sun damage already done, whether the face or other parts of the body. Combined dual energies of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and electrical radio frequency with the Aurora ELOS laser is able to treat sun damaged skin with virtually no "down time" and amazing results. Treatment for this condition forms part of our Skin Rejuvenation program.