Do you have pigmented, sun-abused skin?

Some people are sun worshippers. They laze under the sun, stretched out by the pool, as they tan every inch of their body. They slather all kinds of tanning lotions until they look like gorgeous golden goddesses. 

I am the exact opposite. I shy away from the sun. I was born with a natural tan and I don’t need to be more brown-skinned than I am.  But the sun loves to burn me. In spite of sunscreen, wide- brim hats, long sarongs and long-sleeved T-shirts, I still come out of a beach holiday a shade darker.  On my last trip to Boracay, I was with golf enthusiasts who insisted that I walked the course with them, which meant three hours or more of sun exposure. I slathered thick white zinc paste (supposedly the most powerful sunblock) on my face, arms and shoulders.  I didn’t care if I looked ridiculous, but I did not want to risk ruining my schoolgirl complexion. The sun was merciless as it managed to seep through the thick zinc paste.  I came back to Manila with brown pigments on my cheeks and patchy skin that could not be hidden by the best cosmetics brands. My skin has always been my pride and joy, as I have never had any problems with it. I have always been resistant to acne and oily skin even if I gorge on chocolates and fried turon na saging.  So the patchy skin and brown pigments were the bane of my existence.  It drove me to seek the help of my two dermatologist friends, Drs. Jasmin Zamora and Patricia Tinio, both members of the Philippine Dermatological Society. 

I sought their help because I wanted a quick fix, which only lasers can do.  Both dermatologists are highly trained in the field of lasers. Both of them have written articles in the journals of American Academy of Dermatology.

How do lasers work? The word laser is a catch-all for devices that use intense beams of focused bright light.  Others use intense pulse light (producing short, quick flashes) and ones that employ radio frequency or electromagnetic energy.  To diminish wrinkles, some types of lasers like Titan and Thermage send energy deep into the dermis (the lower layers of skin) without damaging the epidermis (the upper layer). That energy creates heat and a slight injury, which sends the body into repair mode, encouraging existing collagen (a building block of skin) to be produced.

The result?

Smoother, plumper, more youthful looking skin. Other lasers, like Lyra, Affirm, and V-beam, have specific wave lengths that are attracted only to certain pigments, such as red and brown, and destroy anything within that color range. They work well on blood vessels, spider veins, sunspots and hair.

What is a laser procedure like?

Most procedures involve an application of topical anesthesia or a cooling gel, followed by a few passes of the device over the area to be treated. Patients usually experience slight warmth or a mild burning sensation, which dissipates quickly. After effects can be similar to a sunburn including some redness, swelling or flaking for up to a few days.

For my pigmented cheeks, both doctors recommended Fraxel or Affirm, both fractional lasers make skin look smoother, and more even by lightening excess pigmentation and causing collagen production that helps plump up skin. They even work on melasma, brownish spots that are triggered by pregnancy, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy. They can also help reduce pore size and smooth out rough patches and scars by getting rid of surface debris like dead skin cells.

One patient that I talked to said that she experienced diminished wrinkles and slight tightening along the jaw lines, which she was not expecting. Affirm takes about 20 minutes to complete; Fraxel takes an hour. Since each treatment affects only about 20 percent of the skin surface, a series of three or four sessions is recommended to make sure that the entire face gets equal surfacing time. It has to be done once or twice a year.

For sun-damaged skin, the good news is laser can do more than get rid of dark spots, wrinkles and other unsightly effects of sun damage. It  can also help get rid of precancerous spots.

A new laser treatment is Levulan.  When Levulan is absorbed into rapidly dividing cells, like those that can become cancer, and activated by light, the result is an acute burst of free radical damage that kills those cells.

The spots turn into rough areas that peel away in days, with no scarring and will also help prevent new precancerous cells. Since an entire patch of skin is treated, it will pick up spots not visible to the naked eye.

As for my wrinkles that were caused by years of squinting, laughing and aging, Dr. Jasmin recommended Titan, which is an infrared light that boosts collagen and because it doesn’t affect the epidermis, it’s a good choice for fragile areas like the neck. It produces immediate effects, works on all skin pigments, and is an alternative to fillers and in some cases, face lift (and you won’t end up with that wind-tunnel look). Three or more sessions are recommended. Dr. Trisha recommended Thermage, which operates on radio frequency, passes electricity between electrodes placed on the skin. New smaller Thermage tips allow doctors to use lower energy levels, going over the skin several times in one appointment without discomfort.

My first priority was to get rid of the brown spots on both cheeks and even out my patchy skin so I chose to do Fraxel. After three treatments, my skin has that healthy glow and I am back to my schoolgirl complexion with a firm resolve never to walk an 18-hole golf course until after sundown.