Have your natural skin tone turned a few shades darker in sun-exposed areas? You are not the only one experiencing this! Most men are likely to have tanned faces and necks because they spend most of their daytime hours out at work. The prolonged sun exposure leads to stubborn skin pigmentation in males and thus extra efforts are required to get the skin tone back to normal.
Preventing suntan is not the only potential solution and hyperpigmentation is not the only damage that tanning casts on the skin, shares Dr. Rasya Dixit, the best skin doctor in Bangalore at Dr. Dixit Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic. This post focuses on the best tan removal options for men. Before knowing them, it’s important to understand tanning and the side effects of over or excessive exposure of skin to the sun’s UV rays.
What is Tanning?
Tanning is the body’s natural attempt to shield the skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun by increasing melanin production. Melanin is a pigment produced by specialised cells called melanocytes present under the skin's surface. It gives the skin its natural colour and aids in sun protection by absorbing the sun’s harmful UV radiation. High melanin deposits result in skin darkening.
Tanning does not stay for a lifetime. Over time, it fades. Still, the harm that direct sun exposure causes to the skin can’t be neglected.
Side Effects of Sun Tanning
Long-term direct sun exposure makes the skin tanned resulting in other skin problems like dark spots or patches, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, and early ageing signs. The harmful UV radiation of the sun can reduce the skin’s moisture content and make the skin look lifeless and dull. Those who have little melanin in their skin are more prone to skin cancer due to excessive direct sun exposure.
So, how to keep sun tanning and its side effects at bay? At Dr. Dixit Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic, we offer the best sun tan removal treatments in Bangalore.
3 Best Treatments for men to get rid of stubborn tan on their facial skin
At Dr. Dixit Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic, we offer the most sought-after pigmentation removal treatments in Bangalore including:
1. Chemical peel
t is a skin rejuvenating treatment that uses acid solutions of different strengths to rapidly exfoliate the upper skin layers in a controlled manner. The acid causes trauma to the skin’s layers and eventually reveals the refreshing, clear, evenly-toned, and youthful skin from underneath.
Based on the strength of the acid used, the depth of skin peeling off is decided. This gives rise to three types of chemical peels: superficial/light peels, medium-depth peels, and deep peels.
Superficial peels use mild acids like alpha-hydroxy acids to penetrate and peel off the skin surface layer. Medium peels use beta-hydroxy acids to reach the upper skin dermal layers and get rid of damaged cells. Deep peels often use strong acids like phenol and trichloroacetic acids that completely penetrate the middle skin layer and remove damaged skin cells.
Chemical peel treatment can aid in the effective removal of sun tan. It is a lunchtime aesthetic skin procedure taking less than an hour and the results are instantly noticed. For light and medium peels, multiple treatment sessions scheduled weeks apart are needed to get optimally brighter and radiant skin. However, a single session of chemical peel treatment can considerably improve the skin tone.
2. Carbon laser peel
Also referred to as China Doll Peel Facial or Charcoal Peel/Facial, is an innovative laser resurfacing treatment that utilizes activated carbon and focused light beams. It works to restore skin balance and provide the skin a flawless texture and complexion as well as leave an evenly toned and glowing skin. Therefore, it’s best for sun tan removal.
The treatment commences with the application of a thin layer of charcoal preparation (activated carbon) to the skin’s surface. Once the carbon lotion is evenly spread onto the sun-tanned skin and dried, laser light is focused on the precise target area. As the charcoal dries, it absorbs all the skin’s impurities, dead skin cells, and extra sebum.
The laser light shatters the carbon into particles with its thermal energy and the vacuum suction is used to gently remove the carbon along with its adsorbed materials in the upper skin layers. Simultaneously, the conversion of light energy into thermal energy encourages the synthesis of fresh collagen to leave a healthy-looking complexion. After a single carbon laser peel session, one can begin to see powerful results. However, the desired results are seen only after 4-5 sessions performed in intervals of 1-4 weeks.
3. Laser skin resurfacing
This therapy works for tan removal by repairing and regenerating the damaged skin cells. It induces the fibroblasts to produce fresh collagen and make the skin look healthy, fresh, and beautiful, thereby improving the aesthetic appeal of the skin. Its benefits are improved natural healing response, improved immune response, increased blood circulation in the treatment site, and reduced inflammation.
In the laser skin resurfacing for tan removal, a low-level, medical-grade red laser light is directed onto the area of the sun-damaged skin. The light goes up to 3 inches deep into the skin to encourage the new skin cell growth and simultaneously increased production of collagen, enzymes, and cell growth.
How to prevent sun tanning?
Prevention is better than waiting for skin darkening and damage caused by direct sun exposure. Here are some of the ways that can help men keep sun tanning at bay:
- Wear sun-protective clothing like hats, caps, stoles, full-sleeved tops, full-length lowers, and even sunglasses. The body must be fully covered before stepping outdoors during the daytime.
- Avoid stepping outside between 10 am to 2 pm when sunlight is at its peak.
- Daily apply broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF at least 30 above before going outside in daytime hours. If you are sweating or have been to the pool, reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
- Keep your body well-hydrated and eat fibres and antioxidants-rich foods to prevent skin from getting dehydrated, dull, and sun-damaged.
- Use sun-friendly skincare products or cosmetics. Daily apply moisturiser after bath or face wash. Avoid applying cream-based makeup instead use mineral-based ingredients.
- Daily wash your face at least two times.
If seeking an effective sun tan removal or pigmentation treatment in Bangalore to get rid of stubborn sun tan around any body site, schedule a consultation with Dr. Rasya Dixit- a highly experienced skincare expert at Dr. Dixit Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic today!
