SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
This time of the year, many of us spend a lot of time in the sun. And that big ball of fire in the sky can do some damage to our skin, if we're not careful. We've heard about the problems from dermatologists before, but now a plastic surgeon has some words of advice, so you don't end up in his office, hoping to have the sun's damage corrected.
From sun spots to wrinkles, the sun's rays can leave mark. Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD., Creator of Specific Beauty says "You can have a brown spot after a pimple, you can have melasma which are the brown patches on the face that women get with pregnancy. That's very, very common. And then you can get brown spots from years of sun abuse." Those brown spots, also known as hyperpigmentaion, are caused by an over production of melanin in the skin. How do you get rid of them? "There are a number of good medications that are available to help prevent more of these dark spots from forming, even to treat some of the dark spots that are there," said Dr. Gallego.
But, the sun's abuse can also leave other questionable marks on your skin. Some of them may be cancer. "The most common type of skin cancer, which is basal cell carcinoma, roughly 90-percent of those skin cancers occur on the face, on the ears, on the neck," said Dr. Gallego. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kelly Gallego says there are ways to remove those cancerous spots, and not leave a permanent mark behind. "We want to do things like meticulous wound closure, preventing excessive tension on the closure itself. And also the prevention of infection," said Dr. Gallego.
The best way to protect your skin, and avoid those spots from the sun's damaging rays is sunblock. Dr. Gallego recommends one with at least an SPF of 30 that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
