When skin is exposed to too much direct sunlight, it can be damaged by the sun’s UV rays. How much exposure is too much varies from person to person. It depends on age, gender, skin tone, and other factors. For many people, even a little exposure to direct sunlight can be too much. Sun damage can cause many issues, ranging from wrinkling to skin cancer. Some of the most common symptoms of sun damage are various discolorations of the skin, such as:
Temporary discolorations, like sunburns and some types of freckles, will go away on their own. Other discolorations, however, will not disappear unless they’re treated with an aesthetic procedure.
There are cosmetic procedures that aestheticians can use to reduce uneven skin tone and other discolorations caused by sun damage. Cynosure® is one well-known treatment option for reducing uneven skin tone. It uses light-based treatment systems to revitalize the skin and remove excess pigmentation. As the procedure gets rid of extra pigmentation that’s built up from too much exposure to the sun, the spots caused by sun damage lighten and blend in with the surrounding skin.
How long it takes to reduce uneven skin tone depends on the extent of the sun damage. In some cases, just one treatment is needed. In other cases, multiple treatments are required. An aesthetician can provide a specific estimate on the number of treatments that will be required during an in-person consultation. Individual treatments don’t take long. Many treatments that are used to reduce uneven skin tone, including Cynosure®, are non-invasive, outpatient procedures. They’re performed in a doctor’s office, and the patient is typically free to go back to their home or office immediately afterward.