What should you know about cure for sun damaged skin?

Ultraviolet exposure can gradually alter the skin’s colour, texture, elasticity, and surface. Common concerns include uneven tone, sun spots, fine lines, roughness, and sagging. A fresh sunburn is a short-term injury, while photoaging describes cumulative changes over time. Facial volume loss has other causes as well, so it should not automatically be attributed to sunlight.

Some marks that look like ordinary sun spots can be different conditions, including melasma or a precancerous or cancerous growth. A new, changing, bleeding, crusting, or non-healing spot deserves examination rather than cosmetic treatment first.

Use shade, protective clothing, a hat, and broad-spectrum sunscreen on exposed skin. Reapply sunscreen as directed, particularly after sweating or swimming. A gentle cleanser and moisturiser can support the skin barrier; avoid picking rough areas or using multiple strong products at once.

A dermatologist may discuss options such as prescription creams, chemical peels, light-based procedures, resurfacing, or treatment for a specific spot. The choice depends on skin tone, the type of change, sensitivity, and whether a lesion needs testing. Improvement is usually gradual, and protection remains necessary after treatment.

Book a skin examination for a spot that changes in size, shape, or colour, bleeds, crusts, hurts, itches persistently, or does not heal. Seek prompt care for a severe sunburn with extensive blistering, intense pain, confusion, vomiting, or signs of dehydration. Do not apply a cosmetic lightening product to an unexplained lesion.

Ask which changes are photoaging, which need examination, what protection suits your daily routine, and whether a treatment could worsen pigmentation or irritation. Ask whether a changing spot needs a closer assessment before any cosmetic procedure.