Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks for the suggestions people. People seem to have different positions on resurfacing though.
Because it's a crapshoot. If you look on the internet, you will find many stories and pictures of laser working really well for some people... then you find the "horror" stories when something went wrong and a person's face or body was ruined, either b/c they had a bad reaction or b/c the procedure was performed improperly, causing permanent damage that cannot be fixed.
This is why it's important that your friend get several consults from well-established dermatologists. Do not advise her to go to an aesthetician or a spa-type establishment for such treatments, even one with a good reputation. Dermatologists are the only ones who have enough knowledge and expertise to help her.
I am African-American, and I get lots of little dark spots and scar easily. I have tried a few over the counter items (drugstore) and use them to maintain evenness. I have noticed a big difference. A couple of years ago, I had tons of dark spots on my forehead, and that is when I started to get hardcore about the hyperpigmentation. Now I do not have hat problem, and my occasional spots clear up within 2 weeks or so with my current regimen.
I'd recommend adding a serum to daily treatment in addition to reapplying sunscreen and wearing a hat. I noticed the biggest difference in my skin once I started using the serums. Here are the ones that have worked for me:
NP Set Rewind & Replenish Facial Serum (Target exclusive): $20/1 oz
Garnier Fructis Skin Renew Serum
Daily Moisturizers:
Boots Botanics Face Renewal Cream, SPF 15 (Target or Drugstore.com): $13/1.69 oz
Kohl's Good Skin (there is a moisturzer that was in lavendar packaging for discoloration. It was excellent, but Kohl's isn't convinent for me so I switched to Boots. It is only in store.)
Over the weekend, I did a demo of the Philosophy Microdermabrasion home kit. They demo was on my hand, and I noticed a big difference. That'll be my next investment, it is a bit expensive at $65, but it contains 10 treatments, so that is much cheaper than the real deal. It is definitely worth a try, my hands tend to get discolored on the tops from dryness, and my skin was much much brighter after the 5 minute treatment.
The biggest thing needs to be to keep her out of the sun and minimize overall sun exposure. The other stuff is all corrective measures, which can do some good, but the problem will only keep increasing the more she's exposed to the sun.
1. Yes, wear sunscreen every day. Face, hands, arms.
2. ALWAYS wear a hat when going outside. No exceptions. A wide-brimmed hat would be best to protect her neck too, but if she won't go for that, at least get a ball cap. She needs to think about blocking the sun, not just putting on sunscreen.
3. Long-sleeved shirts to go over her clothes when she's outside. The sun can go through one layer of clothes. She could get a hoodie or button up shirt and put it on when she's going to be outside to minimize sun exposure to her arms.
Yes, these things are annoying at times. But if she's showing sun damage at 30, I fear she'll be unhappy with how she looks at 40... 50...
I would recommend stopping all sun exposure even with sunscreen, which only gives a false sense of security. And like others I recommend she wears a wide brimmed hat when out in direct sun. I started wearing wide brimmed hats in my early 20s and my skin has barely aged-- whereas the skin on my arms and lower neck which got more sun has definitely aged a bit in comparison. She can't really reverse any damage that's already done but she can stop it in its tracks! Hats and coverage are important not just for "vanity" reasons but to protect from skin cancer as well.
Honestly the chance of her reversing the damage is close to impossible, without cosmetic surgery. She shoukd really focus on maintaing at this point, because the downward slide is going to be awful. She needs to get hardcore about protecting her face.from the sun.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
