Sun-damaged skin (Dermatoheliosis) is caused by the UV radiation penetrating through your skin like a wrecking ball onto your cellular DNA. A tan, although it makes a person feel healthy, is a warning that something is wrong. This eventually breaks the collagen framework that keeps your skin firm, leading to premature wrinkles, intense pigmentation, and a loss of natural skin elasticity. That is dermatoheliosis, a gradual process that is medically controlled and obsolesces your intricate scaffold, upon which you base your complexion.
At Real Plastic Surgery, we know that understanding how damage occurs is the first step toward fixing it. Whether you are dealing with a few scattered freckles or deep-seated texture changes, modern aesthetic medicine offers incredible ways to physically repair your skin and restore a truly youthful, radiant glow.
What Is Sun-Damaged Skin?
The physical impact of the ultraviolet light is sun damage. It is not only that it produces painful burns during a beach holiday, but also the consequence of incidental exposure in day-to-day life. When you are driving or sitting by a window, UV rays can penetrate your skin and harm your health.
These UV rays are directed to the dermis, and they are found to break down essential proteins, such as collagen and elastin, in an aggressive manner. As these fibres weaken or break, your skin loses its natural elasticity. This contributes to a flattened or parchment-like appearance that cannot be repaired with topical creams alone.
Signs & Symptoms of Sun-Damaged Skin
Sun damage doesn’t look the same on everyone, but there are a few classic red flags that suggest your skin has reached its limit with UV exposure. How do you know if your skin is sun-damaged or just ageing naturally? Look for these specific indicators:
Pigmentation & Dark Spots
Often called age spots, these flat brown patches are clusters of overactive pigment. Your skin produces melanin to guard against UV rays, but eventually, those cells stay “turned on.” This creates permanent spots on the face and hands that no longer fade away when summer ends.
Wrinkles & Fine Lines
Sun-induced wrinkles are often much deeper than natural expression lines. They frequently appear as a fine, “crepey” texture or heavy, crisscross creases. This happens because the sun has effectively scorched the elastic fibres, preventing your skin from bouncing back into its smooth, original position after moving.
Rough Texture & Dryness
Happy skin is well-smoothed and equally light-coloured. However, continuous exposure to the sun thickens the outer epidermis and dehydrates the layers that contain moisture. This makes the surface rough, like sandpaper, and gives it a dull appearance, and in many cases, the fine lines seem much more prominent than they really are.
Broken Capillaries
You might notice tiny, red, spider-like veins around your nose or cheeks. These are enlarged blood capillaries. These capillaries are permanently visible due to the fact that the sun only thins the skin and capillary walls, as well as weakens them. They add to the flushed look of the skin, which cannot be countered with makeup.
Precancerous Skin Changes (Actinic Keratosis)
This is the most critical sign to monitor closely. Actinic keratoses feel like rough, scaly patches that may sting when touched. While they aren’t cancerous yet, they are “precancerous.” Professional treatment is essential to prevent these spots from eventually developing into more serious skin cancer.
Can Sun-Damaged Skin Be Repaired?
The question being raised most often is whether it is too late to undo the damage. The answer is no. Although we cannot reprogram every cell in the genome, we can remodel the skin effectively. We will be able to remove damaged tissue and promote the development of functional tissue.
Consider it as professional skin remodelling. It is through specific clinical interventions that we eliminate surface-level uncertainty and activate the body to generate new collagen. Combined with these procedures along with medical-grade SPF, you can then effectively restore a much lighter and healthier complexion.
Best Treatment for Sun-Damaged Skin
When it comes to correcting years of UV damage, over-the-counter creams often fall short. To achieve visible, clinical results, energy-based devices are the gold standard. At Real Plastic Surgery, we utilise two of the most advanced technologies in the industry: BBL HERO and HALO.
BBL (BroadBand Light) HERO Laser
BBL HERO is a high-speed light therapy that specifically seeks out “reds” and “browns” in the skin. The energy targets excess pigment and broken vessels, heating them until they break down. Over a few days, the spots rise to the surface and flake off, leaving the skin clear.
Contact Real Plastic Surgery for BBL HERO laser treatment in London.
HALO® Laser Treatment
The first-ever hybrid laser in the world is the HALO, which provides two different wavelengths simultaneously. It solidifies surface texture and, at the same time, penetrates deep into the dermis, healing sun damage. You receive the transformative output of heavy duty laser with a much reduced and simpler recovery opportunity.
Visit Real Plastic Surgery for HALO laser treatment in London.
Why Choose Real Plastic Surgery
The selection of a clinic where you would undergo the laser work is a major issue regarding your health. In Real Plastic Surgery, we have an expert surgeon, Mr Naveen Cavale, who has a profound knowledge of skin anatomy to manage our treatments. We employ the gold-standard Sciton technology because it provides the most accurate, safe, and effective outcomes for our patients.
We do not suppose that there is a uniform style of aesthetics. Each appointment in our clinic is performed through a comprehensive examination to develop a unique programme. We are also concerned with future skin condition and no-deceive recommendations so that you can feel secure and encouraged throughout the renewal process.
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Scars tell the story of your healing and they take time to mature. 🤍