JANIGA MDs

Plastic Surgery & Cosmetic Center

Spring Into Outdoor Fun, But Don’t Neglect Your Skin

Spring Into Outdoor Fun, But Don’t Neglect Your Skin

Ah, spring. It’s the time of year when our thoughts turn to baseball, golf, that unrivaled Tahoe spring skiing and generally spending more time in the great outdoors. All healthy pursuits, to be certain, but with the lengthening of the days and inevitable warming trends that they bring comes a reminder that long-term exposure to the sun – whether it’s sitting on the beach at Sand Harbor, planting a garden or riding your bike around the McCarran loop – can seriously damage your skin.

As northern Nevada golfers and other weekend warriors get into the full swing of spring, here are a few reminders about the unique aspects of our region and how to deal with them.

Prevention

The Truckee Meadows is situated at approximately 4,500 feet above sea level, meaning the sun exposure you get here is of a greater magnitude than in the Bay Area or most anywhere else in the nation. Sun exposure manifests itself in many different ways, but prevention should always be your first line of defense. At Janiga MDs, we strongly recommend you always wear a sunscreen of SPF of 30 or higher and reapply it every two to three hours. Another easy step is to wear a wide-brimmed hat and SPF protective clothing for the duration of your time outdoors.

Repair

Still, even the best methods of prevention can fall short. Over the course of a lifetime, we accumulate quite a bit of sun exposure. Sun exposure causes changes in the color or pigment of the skin. This damage can lead to broken blood vessels and the appearance of brown spots (lentigos) on your skin. This can result in the premature appearance of aging, especially on the face. These are treated quite nicely with Intense Pulsed Light, which is a simple 15-30 minute office procedure. The laser provides a combined treatment for both brown and red areas, which is perfect for people with significant sun exposure.

Chronic sun exposure also can cause solar elastosis, or a breakdown of collagen and elastin in your skin. These changes can manifest themselves in a couple of different ways. First, the skin can develop a bumpy texture or crosshatching, with lines going off in all directions. This gives skin the unfortunate resemblance to an orange peel. This phenomenon occurs most commonly in fair skinned people who’ve had significant sun exposure. The second possibility with solar elastosis and collagen degradation is laxity, which manifests itself around the jaw line through sagging skin or jowls.

The good news is that we can help you overcome many of these issues through a few simple procedures we offer here at our Reno offices. For the orange peel look, skin resurfacing lasers such as our ICON Ablative Resurfacing Laser can go a long way toward improving the appearance of these areas. For the issue of laxity, we would recommend either a full facelift or mini facelift to improve the overall appearance of the skin. Call it the Golfer’s Makeover, if you like. Either way, we think you’ll be thrilled with the results.

Schedule a Consultation

In addition to offering each of these cosmetic procedures, we carry a full array of sunscreen and other preventative skincare products to help reduce your risk of sun damage this spring and summer. To see if one of these products or procedures is right for you, feel free to schedule a consultation with us any time. With these tips in mind, get out there and enjoy the great northern Nevada outdoors!

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