Skin resurfacing treatments are becoming an everyday occurrence. Pop-out at lunch and come back looking 10 years younger. If only it was that simple.

Unfortunately nothing is ever that simple and while there is a benefit in the short-term there is usually a price to pay in the long-term.

Let’s look at some of the most popular skin resurfacing treatments and what you might expect in the short- and long-term.

Dermabrasion:
This type of skin resurfacing treatment affects deeper layers of skin than chemical peels, and may be useful for removing disfiguring marks, such as deep acne scars or deep wrinkles, depending on their location.

As with chemical peels, it is effective for wrinkles on the upper lip and chin, but cannot be used around the eyes. Some experts prefer dermabrasion to lasers for skin surfacing of people with darker skin colours.

Standard dermabrasion uses a rotating brush that removes the top layers of a person's skin (a bit like having your face sandblasted). As with chemical peels, dermabrasion selectively strips away the upper layers of skin, leaving the underlying skin layers exposed and very vulnerable.

Similar to chemical peels, after the procedure, the treated skin oozes and forms a scab, a reaction that looks and feels uncomfortable, but is usually only temporary. Postoperative care is similar for both procedures.

Microdermabrasion
This is a gentler version of Dermabrasion and employs the use of very small crystals to ‘polish’ the skin (a bit like rubbing sand paper all over your face).

The results are similar to light chemical peels and patients can have this procedure done in their lunch hour and return to work. Usually, only mild redness occurs after treatment, although some patients can experience skin irritation, cold sores and other temporary side effects.

Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are just that – the use of chemicals (Trichloroacetic acid, or pyruvic acid are two examples of acids commonly used) to burn off the top layers of your facial skin (literally an acid wash for your face). They come in different degrees of intensity – light to heavy.

Acetone or rubbing alcohol is used to cleanse the skin first, than the acid is painted on and depending on the required depth of the burn, is left on for the required period of time – longer for deeper burn, shorter for light burn. 

Expected short- and long-term results
Short-term these skin resurfacing treatments may well have good results in reducing some fine lines and wrinkles or age spots, however, that’s in the short term.

The problem with all these treatments is that while some have been used for many years now, there is no long-term study that has looked at how the skin ultimately reacts to these types of treatments over a 20-30 year period.

Think about it in this way. Let’s say you get moderately burned on the back of your hand (a burn from boiling water for example). The skin will become inflamed and ooze at first and then either form a blister, or become a leathery, dark, discoloured area. The surface of the blister is the burned skin, while beneath the blister or discoloured area new skin forms. This newly formed skin is wrinkle free, smooth, youthful looking and all’s well.

Now take this hand twenty years down the track of normal ageing… What will happen is that the area of the hand that was burned (and remember this only happened once) will start to take on a slightly different colour and it will be clearly different from the surrounding, non-burned skin.

This is probably because when the hand was initially burned, the skin, while looking wrinkle free, etc., was nevertheless damaged and structurally weakened. This was not initially obvious. In fact the new, healthy skin looked younger than it did before the hand was burned. However, twenty years down the track, the damage now becomes visible and obvious. The skin that was burned is now ageing more rapidly than the surrounding skin and is changing colour.

If you think this is just a possibility that’s being hypothesised here, you’d be wrong. Susan’s hand was burned about thirty-five years ago and whilst it was not a severe burn, it was not unlike the type of burn caused by a strong chemical peel. Yes, after the skin healed, it did look very new, youthful and wrinkle free for an extended period of time, but now, thirty years later, the area that was burned has taken on a darker colour from the surrounding skin and looks older.

You see, it’s not just the short-term side effects that may or may not come to be after having some type of skin resurfacing treatment done to the face – it’s the long-term effects that are the problem. The negative effects of having these types of treatments done when you’re in your 20’s, 30’s and 40’s may not show up until you’re in your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s…

At the end of the day, the only way to healthy, youthful looking skin is to help your skin stay healthy. Rather than stripping off layer upon layer, year after year, why not nourish it, provide it with the type of nutrients it needs and be proud of having a few character lines develop?

Personally I’d rather have a few lines and wrinkles when I’m in my 60s’ than a face that’s one great big old scar.

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Sun Protection: Why You Can't Count on SPFs To Work

 

What exactly does the sun do to your skin?

Why Are Ultraviolet Rays from Sunlight Potentially Harmful to Our Skin?

There are two types of ultraviolet rays that have the potential to seriously damage our skin both in the short and the long term.

The shorter of the two is known as UVB. UVB rays do not penetrate the skin deeply, however, they can cause major damage to the DNA and are the type of radiation that will cause sunburn and lead to skin cancer.

The longer wavelength rays are UVA rays. These penetrate much deeper into the skin and produce free radicals. UVA radiation is associated with premature aging of the skin, also known as photo-aging.

How and Why Do You Get A Tan After Sun Exposure?

Exposing the skin to sunlight causes the epidermis (outer layer of the skin) to become thicker and initiates the melanocytes (cells in the skin that produce melanin - darker pigment) to produce melanin at a faster rate (Melanin absorbs the energy of UV light and prevents the light from penetrating deeper into the tissues). This process results in your skin developing a tan, the purpose of which is to give your skin increased protection against sunlight.

Problems associated with excessive or over-exposure to sun light:

There is quite a list of problems that can result from over-exposure to sunlight. The problems range from short to long term and they vary in severity from mild sunburn to malignant skin cancers that are potentially deadly.

Mild sunburn is not a major problem. The pain can be eased by using Aloe vera and Lavender and should not last more than a day or so. However, repeated sunburn will cause skin damage and premature ageing of the skin is usually the long term result. However, with increased severity of sunburn and increased frequency, developing skin cancers or skin tumours becomes a real possibility.

Skin cancers vary in severity and range from benign skin growths which can easily be removed to potentially fatal skin cancers that can spread to other parts of the body and may result in death. Not a price one should be willing to pay for a tan...

The skin is not the only organ that can suffer from over-exposure to the sun. The eyes are also susceptible to the sun's rays and may get damaged if not protected. Cataract, macular degeneration and other eye disorders are common results of over-exposure to the sun's radiation. While it is unlikely to loose one's eyesight as a direct result, there is always the possibility of complications that may end up in reduced or loss of eyesight.

Snow, water and even sand are highly reflective surfaces and on bright sunny days they multiply the effects of radiation. That is, even if you are sitting in the shade on a beach, the reflected radiation off the water and sand has the potential to cause serious sun damage to your skin. It is therefore very important to a) be aware of this and b) take preventative measures.

How to protect yourself from the sun's radiation

Physical Measures:

Wearing clothing that covers your whole body is one way to protect yourself. Using a wide-rimed hat, sunglasses, a long sleeve shirt and light, but full-length pants when out in the sun, is probably the best way to keep the harmful rays off your skin.

Stay in the shade as much as possible and avoid going out into the sun during the hours of 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in Summer and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in Winter. Be careful of Daylight-Saving Time.

How Effective Is Your Sunscreen Lotion?

We are told that sunscreen lotions which contain SPFs (Sun Protection Factors) are also beneficial to keep the skin from burning, as they prevent the harmful rays from penetrating the skin. However, it has been shown that at least some of the ingredients used in these UV-protecting sunscreen lotions (ones that include SPFs) are potentially harmful to our health and should be avoided (Jarry, et al., 2004). This is why, we at Wildcrafted Herbal Products, do not put SPFs into any of our natural skin care products, but rely on anti-oxidants and other ingredients to help the skin cope with exposure to the elements.

Researchers have shown that “… sunscreens may prevent skin redness partly by UV absorption and partly by inhibiting the skin’s inflammatory response. As such, sunscreens might promote instead of protect against melanomas” ^2,3.  Another 5-year skin cancer study in Queensland, Australia, into the effectiveness of sunscreens, showed that from an initial 1621 participants, there was no difference in the number of skin cancers between the group of people who used sunscreens and the ones that did not. In other words, this study showed, that whether you use sunscreen protection or not, your chances of developing skin cancer is the same ³. Serpone, et al., (2007) report several other studies that showed similar results, that is, they showed the ineffectiveness of sunscreens.

Considering the wide use of sunscreens (containing SPFs) one could reasonably expect the incidence of skin cancers to reduce, however, this is not the case and in fact, especially in the northern hemisphere, the incident of skin cancer seems to be rising...

Natural Means of Protecting Your Skin

Apart from covering your body when out in the sun, there are additional precautions you can take to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

Antioxidants:

Antioxidants include: vitamins A, C, E; selenium; coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and alpha-lipoic acid, Green tea to mention a few. These antioxidants stabilise the free radicals formed by UVA radiation penetrating to the deeper layers of the skin. Food for Your Skin, is an article which will provide you with information as to which foods contain these antioxidants.

Essential Oils and Herbal Extracts:

There are several herbs, plant extracts and essential oils that will help to nourish, revitalise and to some extent help repair damaged skin. Among these are Lavender Oil, Echinacea purpurea (herbal extract/tincture), Yellow Dock (herbal extract/tincture), Aloe vera gel (plant extract), Green tea and many others.

Water:

When you are out in the sun, increase your intake of water, as the skin uses perspiration to cool us down. This perspiration is water (mostly) and as it evaporates from our skin, we need to replenish it, else we become dehydrated and the skin can not effectively cool the body.

Using mineral water (water containing natural mineral salts) can be of additional benefit, as it contains salts which aids the body in utilising more of the water.

Natural Skin Care Products:

Natural skin care products contain many of the essential oils and herbal extracts referred to above as well as cosmetic butters and other natural and beneficial ingredients. As such they can help to protect and nourish your skin. Good quality products provide nutrients in the form of essential oils and other plant extracts, and assist in preventing dehydration of the skin.

Natural substances such such as vit. E (alpha-tocopherol) combined with vit. C has been shown to protecting the skin (to some extent at least) from the harmful rays of the sun⁴.

In addition, following a daily skin care regime will keep your skin healthy and vibrant, and will thus help your skin to better cope with protecting itself from the sun.

 

References:

1. Hubertus Jarry, Julie Christoffel, Guillermo Rimoldi, Lilli Koch, Wolfgang Wuttke (2004) Multi-organic endocrine disrupting activity of the UV screen benzophenone 2 (BP2) in ovariectomized adult rats after 5 days treatment. Toxicology, 205: 87–93.
   
2. T.M. Chiang, R.M. Sayre, J.C. Dowdy, N.K. Wilkin and E.W. Rosenberg, Melanoma Res. 15 (2005), p. 3. Cell Res. 12 (2002), p. 311.
   
3. Nick Serpone, Daniele Dondi, Angelo Albini (2007) Inorganic and organic UV filters: Their role and efficacy in sunscreens and suncare products. Inorganica Chimica Acta 360 (2007) 794–802.
   
4. Fuchs, J. (1998) Potentials and limitations of the natural antioxidants RRR-alpha-tocopherol, Image-ascorbic acid and β-carotene in cutaneous photoprotection. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Volume 25, Issue 7, Pages 848-873.

 

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