Botox and Sunshine

As we approach the end of summer and the beginning of shorter fall days, many of us find ourselves taking every opportunity to get outside and soak up as many of those last rays of the summer sun as possible. Whether you are heading out to soak up the last of summer, or are noticing the effects of a summer full of a little too much sun, let’s find a spot in the shade and talk for a minute about the real effects of the sun on your skin health, and what to do if you are already guilty of a little overexposure.

• Add antioxidants into your diet and on your skin. Old, damaged skin cells are more quickly replaced with new, healthy ones.

• Keep your skin hydrated! Drink plenty of water and keep your skin moisturized.

• Exfoliate regularly to help clear off the layers of dead skin cells and promote speedier rejuvenation of the healthy skin cells underneath.

• Lastly, apply sunscreen daily! This is key when it comes to protecting a fair complexion and making sure skin stays healthy and glowing.

Sun exposure ages the skin, but it does not interfere with Botox treatments. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays causes elastin fibers in the skin to break down. When this happens, the skin sags and stretches. The skin also becomes more susceptible to bruising and tearing and requires additional time to heal. Therefore, people should avoid spending too much time in the sun to reduce the risk of wrinkles, sunspots and other visible signs of aging in the face.

Botox temporarily smooths fine lines, wrinkles and furrows caused by excessive muscle movements. For Botox patients, there are many quick, easy ways to manage sun exposure following treatment. These include:

• Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Limit sun exposure to let the skin heal properly.

• Wear a high SPF sunscreen. UVA and UVB sun rays cause skin damage and sunburns. As such, use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30.

• Use a topical antioxidant. Use a topical antioxidant to combat free radicals that cause facial wrinkles, lines and volume loss.