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Skin Spots: Causes, Prevention, Treatment

Having bronze and even-toned skin as a summer sun souvenir can seem like a beautiful and attractive skin quality at first, but too much sun exposure can lead to life-long skin damage. As you age, the years of tanning and sun-basking may appear as brown discolorations across your face, hands, chest and back. These sun spots or age spots appear when melanin, the pigment that darkens skin to protect against UV rays, builds up in high concentrations. UV rays are produced by the sun in different forms, some affecting your skin differently than others. Your skin is reacting to naturally protect you from further damage, but because of this defense, your skin will appear uneven and generally undesirable as far as skin complexion goes.

The best way to treat sun spots is, of course, by avoiding them in the first place. They are caused by only one thing, and that is direct exposure from the sun. Minimizing the amount of exposure you have to the sun between 10am and 4pm, when the sun’s rays are at their strongest and have the potential to do the most damage, is one of the best ways to avoid sun spots. Choosing a sunscreen that is at least 30 SPF and marketed as “broad-spectrum” is another effective tact because this type of sunscreen will protect you from both damaging A and B ultraviolet rays.

If it’s too late and dark, sun spots have already made their appearance; there are several ways to treat them. Using a daily serum or lotion containing ingredients that slow melanin production such a soy, vitamins A and C, have shown promising results within about three months.  To fade sun spots, a strong topical medicine made with hydroquinone and other skin-bleaching agents can aid in treating sun spots, however laser treatments have been proven more effective in ablating them and constant sunscreen application over the spots once they are faded or erased is essential to their reappearance.

New York City and Long Island located Dermatologist, Dr. Cameron Rokhsar is a leading authority in laser skin treatments. He has instructed more physicians on the fractional laser, Fraxel than any other physician in the world. As a professor of dermatology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he has a precision and patience when working with aging skin. His experience with skin renewal with the use of laser technology will prove to be effective and with satisfying results.

About author - Dr. Cameron Rokhsar

Dr. Cameron Rokhsar

Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, MD, FAAD, FAACS, is the founder and medical director of the New York Cosmetic, Skin, & Laser Surgery Center. Dr. Rokhsar is a graduate of Harvard College and NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Rokhsar is double board certified in dermatology and micrographic dermatologic surgery, being one of the few select dermatologists in the country who is also fellowship trained in laser surgery. A researcher and innovator, Dr. Rokhsar is the creator of the non-surgical nose job and has been instrumental in the research and development of laser systems such as the Fraxel, CO2, Mirady, Vbeam, Themitight, and Ulthera devices. An Associate Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, Dr. Rokhsar actively teaches the cosmetic dermatology clinic to the resident at Mount Sinai. An expert injector of fillers, and a trainer for many companies, patients fly in from around the world to see Dr. Rokhsar in his Garden City and Manhattan offices in New York.

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