Abby Borbon-Roaquin has been a registered nurse for over 14 years, including four years in aesthetic medicine. She works as the manager and clinician at Ulan Medical Spa in San Diego, California, so she knows quite a bit about what you should and should not do with your skin. Here, she warns against the dangers of tanning and explains how you can correct sun damage with a medical spa procedure.
Living in sunny San Diego, I cannot overestimate the importance of wearing sunscreen. In fact, if such a thing existed, I would tell people to wear “moon screen.” Our guideline at Ulan Medical Spa is “do not tan.” Ultraviolet rays from the sun are damaging to your skin because they give you premature wrinkles. Being exposed to sun for too long can also eventually give you thick, leathery skin, deeper wrinkles, and color imperfections. We’ve all seen people with skin like that and we know it isn’t pretty.
When there is light out and you are outside, regardless of whether you are in direct sunlight, you are getting exposed to those ultraviolet rays. So when you are outdoors, make sure to reapply sunscreen every two to three hours. For those who want to safely color their skin, we recommend systems like the Mystic Tan spray-on instead of outdoor tanning.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are getting a laser treatment, such as laser hair removal, you should not have a tan — you have to wait until it fades.
At Ulan Medical Spa, we offer a procedure that helps correct sun damage done to your skin. The FotoFacial IPL Color Correction procedure safely and comfortably fades the appearance of uneven skin tones created by brown and red spots caused by sun damage, rosacea, age spots, freckles, flushed appearance, and spider veins. Keep in mind that when undergoing a FotoFacial, you cannot have a fresh tan.
Here at Ulan, we are proud to offer elos, the first and only technology that combines radio frequency and light energies. Elos technology is also used for ReFirme skin tightening and other procedures. The combination of radio frequency and light energies in elos technology precisely and safely targets pigmented lesions such as freckles, sun spots, and age spots. Vascular lesions such as spider vessels and vessels from rosacea are also lightened and gradually fade.
IPL Color Correction is an effective treatment for most skin types. Skin tone improvement is typically achieved after five or six treatment sessions. There is no downtime during the procedure and you can return to their regular activities immediately after.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
