When we look in the mirror we all want to see the best version of ourselves in regards to healthy, glowing skin. However, as we age, we begin to notice all the changes of fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage, skin cancer, acne, scarring and loose skin. 

Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and negative factors have an effect on its health. It’s important to know how to avoid damaging you skin and how to best treat damaged skin:

How to avoid damaging your skin.

Unfortunately when thinking about reducing our risk of skin damage, it boils down to changing our habits. There are many things we personally do in our daily routine that can affect the health of our skin, from what we put onto our skin, in our bodies and the environment around us. It’s well worth changing what we can to help get the health of our skin back on track:

• Excessive Sun Exposure
• Cigarettes and Alcohol
• Unhealthy Diet
• Chronic Stress
• Lack of Sleep
• Air Pollution
• Chemical irritants

How to treat damaged skin.

Let’s face it. We all have been exposed to some sort of factor negatively affecting the health of our skin whether we realize it or not. The good news is, with the right plan of action, skin damage is reversible. Along with a visit to see your dermatologist, here is a list to support skin restoration of damaged skin:

• Moisturize - A moisturizer will immediately hydrate skin and soften dry, stiff surface cells. Look for lotions with a combination of humectants, emollients and occlusive to hold water inside the skin and replenish the lipid matrix. 
• Sunscreen - Not only does daily sunscreen application prevent future UV sun damage, it can allow the skin to repair existing damage by and allowing your skin stem cell’s growth factors a chance to heal and repair damage.
• Hydration – Drinking plenty of water promotes the health of your skin in many ways but one key benefit is that it’s detoxifying agent, flushing toxins from your body.
• Sleep – While your mind is resting during sleep, your skin’s blood flow increases, and the skin rebuilds its collagen and repairs damage from UV exposure, reducing wrinkles and age spots.
• Diet – Make sure to include omega 3 rich food, sufficient protein, along with Vitamin C and other antioxidants.

How to repair damaged skin. 

With a proper evaluation from a dermatologist, there are medical and cosmetic treatment options available. Medical interventions can involve ALA/PDT treatment, blue light therapy and prescription options. Unfortunately, insurance companies haven’t caught up with the value of lasers and other cosmetic treatments. The following list of non-surgical cosmetic treatments may be recommended to help rejuvenate damaged skin. 

• Laser resurfacing - Laser resurfacing works by removing the top layer of damaged skin and heating the layers underneath to promote collagen production. 
• Chemical peels - Chemical peel treatments involve using acids to exfoliate the skin. The acid removes a uniform amount of damaged skin cells across the treatment area.
• Dermabrasion – Dermabrasion is a treatment exfoliating the upper layer of skin with the help of a diamond tip which is carefully swept over the damaged area. This procedure helps to reveal the youthful glow of your skin.
• Fillers – Filler injections are not only used to fill in deep lines and wrinkles but may stimulate formation of your own collagen.

At the end of the day, we deserve to feel confident in our appearance and healthy skin makes a significant impact. Visiting a dermatologist and starting a new habit to schedule an annual skin check is a great place to start.