Ricardo Izquierdo, MD
Article by
Oak Brook Plastic Surgeon

Summer is essentially over. At least the sun part of it. Despite using sun block, wearing hats at Cub or Sox games, and decreasing your time in the sun, your skin still has been exposed to UV rays. Brown splotches or roughened areas may have appeared. Tiny spider veins may have become more noticeable by your nose or on your cheeks.

There are several non-invasive treatments that can help restore your skin’s luster. Dry scaly skin can be exfoliated to expose fresh, deep layers by using microdermabrasion or a new technique called Vibraderm. A mild chemical peel to remove deeper recalcitrant layers can follow both treatments. The result is usually smooth glowing skin. We now have the VI Peel™, “the best peel you’ll ever have.” Others, like my wife, prefer dermaplaning, which performs the same effect, but also removes the light vellum (peach fuzz) that many women have on their face. Followed by a chemical peel, she glows when I come home.

Brown spots occur despite our best efforts to protect our skin. These areas are (for whatever reason) more sensitive to the sun’s rays. The sun stimulates the melanin production in our skin and produces blotchiness. Some women also have larger areas called melasma, usually during hormonal events such as pregnancy or menopause. A combination of treatments is best used for this problem. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), exfoliation, and bleaching creams are used in combination to bring the skin back to one even tone.

Finally, those little pink/red veins on cheeks, chin, and nose can appear more noticeable after a busy summer. Aside from rosacea, which is a different category and treatment regimen, therapy with specific lasers such as a Yag-laser can help shrink them back to nothingness.

Keep your skin healthy. It’s your largest organ.