Aging Skin, Wrinkles and Age Spots
- The main cause of premature skin aging is UV radiation emitted by the sun (and indoor tanning beds which should be avoided.)
- Wearing sunscreen daily with an SPF of at least 30 is one of the most effective ways to prevent wrinkling and sun damage, even when the sun is not shining.
- How wrinkled your skin becomes depends on many things, like your skin tone, your history of sun exposure and genetics.
- If you have fair skin and had a lot of sun exposure in your past, you are particularly susceptible to wrinkling and skin damage.
- Flat, brown marks on the skin are often called “age spots”. They too are caused by UV exposure and usually appear on the face, chest and back, backs of the hands and top of the feet.
What to do?
Our PA, Todd Lythgoe has a lot of experience treating aging skin. The first step is to make an appointment. All of those brown spots need to be looked at to make sure there is no evidence of skin cancer. Skin cancer-melanoma or basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma-is very curable when caught early. That’s why it is so important to have your annual skin exam or come in immediately if you notice a change in a mole or skin lesion. Once skin cancer is ruled out, we can usually treat age spots with lasers or liquid nitrogen. Wrinkles can be greatly reduced with laser treatments and fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Voluma, and Belotero. We can smooth out deep frown lines with Botox, Dysport and Xeomin. Dr. Richards and our PA Todd Lythgoe do all of these procedures.
Sunscreen and moisturizer are the two most effective anti-aging products you can buy. We have both here for your convenience. Your PA or master esthetician can recommend the best ones for you.
To make an appointment call us at (858) 362-8800. She looks forward to meeting you!