Summers in Texas are certainly a time to head outdoors and enjoy the long days full of sunshine. Unfortunately, this exposure can also take its toll on your skin, despite your best efforts at protection. The good news is that we have just the solution for hitting the reset button as you head into fall and winter with our advanced laser treatment.
At McHugh Plastic Surgery, Dr. Thomas McHugh offers both surgical and nonsurgical services to help our patients look their very best, from head to toe. As part of our nonsurgical suite of services, we offer laser resurfacing technologies that excel in clearing away the damage done by the sun, restoring a more youthful, blemish-free tone to your skin.
It’s hard to underestimate the effects that the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can have on your skin, as they’re responsible for up to 90% of the visible signs of aging, especially in highly exposed areas like your face and chest.
To begin, UV rays damage your skin cells, and when they enter your dermis (the middle layer of your skin) they also break down your collagen fibers. These fibers provide support for your tissue, and when they’re damaged, your skin begins to wrinkle and sag as a result.
Next, your skin’s response to sun exposure is to produce melanin in your epidermis to prevent the UV rays from damaging your body. Over time, your melanin can act erratically and begin to cluster, which is what produces areas of hyperpigmentation like sun spots, freckles, and melasma.
As you can see, between the breakdown in your supportive structures and the extra melanin, the sun can leave ample evidence of time spent in its presence.
At our practice, we offer an innovative CO2 fractional laser technology that tackles the skin concerns brought on by the UV rays. Called DeepFX™ and ActiveFX™, these two resurfacing solutions accomplish two goals:
When we deliver the laser energy into your target areas, it breaks up skin problems like hyperpigmentation and facial veins.
The fractional technology that these lasers deliver creates tiny microchannels in your skin that elicit a collagen and elastin response. In creating a matrix across the surface of your skin, the new collagen and elastin fill in the channels and lift the entire surface area, smoothing out wrinkles and reducing sagging.
Our laser technology is minimally invasive, which means there’s very little downtime after your resurfacing treatment. You may experience some redness, but this typically resolves itself quickly.
Over the weeks following your visit with us, your skin gradually lifts and smooths as it rebuilds itself from below. About 6-12 weeks after your appointment, you should realize your optimal results, which are yours to maintain. And to help with that, we strongly recommend continued sun protection.
If summer has wreaked havoc on your skin, contact our office in the Woodlands, Texas, to set up your skin-resurfacing appointment.
