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  • Sun damage to skin can start in childhood, if you get too much sun or get sunburned, and continue into adulthood, when you may notice wrinkles; age spots; blotchy or freckly skin; or skin cancer. Brown spots on your skin may be actinic keratoses, or AK; these precursors to skin cancer should be removed by your doctor. You may need to combine several different treatments for your damanged skin to achieve maximum results.

    Laser Skin Resurfacing

    Get laser skin resurfacing to remove age spots, actinic keratoses and wrinkles. This procedure, usually done in a dermatologist's office, is effective in treating sun damage, depending on the equipment used and the experience of the doctor. Usually your dermatologist will treat your entire face, neck and chest, and possibly your hands. The procedure is relatively painless, but you may have some redness and peeling for several weeks afterwards.

    Chemical Peel

    Get a chemical peel. A dermatologist applies chemicals that peel away the top layers of skin, including much of the sun damage. The procedure can cause redness, peeling, crusting and discomfort for several weeks. It effectively treats AKs, wrinkles and age spots.

    Photodynamic Light Therapy

    Have photodynamic light therapy done by your dermatologist. For this procedure, you sit under a special light that peels off the top layers of skin while the healthy skin underneath comes to the surface. You may experience redness and peeling for a few weeks afterward, but not as intensely as with a chemical peel or laser skin resurfacing.

    Chemotherapy Cream

    Use the topical chemotherapy cream fluoracil. This cream, available by prescription, can cost more than $200, but the cost sometimes is covered by insurance. Apply the cream twice a day for four weeks. The skin becomes red, crusts over and peels off, removing any lesions. The treatment can be painful, especially if you are doing a large area of skin.

    Cryosurgery

    Have cryosurgery done by your dermatologist to remove sun damage spots of actinic keratosis. Your doctor will spray extremely cold liquid nitrogen on your spot, and it will get red, blister and peel off. Even though the procedure takes only a second, it may be quite painful. You should feel no pain afterwards.

    Sun Protection

    Protect your skin staying out of the sun as much as possible and wearing sunscreen and protective clothing. Protecting your skin from the sun now may actually reverse some of the sun damage that you incurred earlier in life, according to Skin Care Physicians, a division of the American Academy of Dermatology. Protection from the sun allows your skin to heal and reverse some damage.

    Source:

    Skin Care Physicians: Sun Damage

    American Academy of Dermatology: AKs

    Doc Shop: Skin Flaws

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