Is it possible to reverse sun damage? Our skin experts reveal all

brown spot treatment

Rising temperatures and longer, sunnier days coupled with a relaxing of lockdown rules means that we are all starting to spend more hours outside. We may now be aware of how important wearing a high factor sunscreen is to protect our skin, but many of us are suffering from sun damage accumulated from many years of overexposure.

Sun damage is a common form of hyperpigmentation and can appear on the face, decolletage and hands as brown spots and patches and are also known as liver or age spots. Typically, they are nothing to be worried about, but they are caused by overexposure to UVA light. This stimulates your melanocytes or pigment cells, producing a pigment called melanin which gives us a beautiful golden glow in the summer, but unfortunately can also leave us with clumps of pigment that don’t fade when your tan does.

Years of this repeated overexposure means that brown spots are most common in men and women over 40, but younger patients can experience hyperpigmentation problems if you’ve spent a lot of time in the sun or used sun beds.

Actress and model Linda Lusardi recently shared her sun damage story: “I was a sun worshipper when I was younger. I always put factor 50 on my chest now, but that’s not going to correct the sun damage I already have. I sometimes cover the dark spots on my chest with make-up, but it often comes off on my clothes.

On her latest Instagram post, Linda Lusardi discusses her recent Harmony ClearSkin laser treatment to remove sun damage on her decolletage:

Linda Lusardi has Harmony Laser for Brown Spots at Karidis Clinic

“I’m also aware that they are just going to continue to get darker and more noticeable so I decided to have a consultation at Karidis Clinic to see if they can get rid of them.”

Is it possible to get rid of brown spots on the chest and hands?

Harmony XL Pro is the gold standard for the treatment of hyperpigmentation problems. IPL laser energy is directed into the darker pigment areas, shattering the pigment into tiny molecules that are just safely absorbed by the body.

The top layer of skin is left intact, and no tissue is damaged, so the treatment is suitable for all skin types and can also be used on the delicate skin on the decolletage and back of the hands. The laser also boosts the skin’s natural healing process, stimulating collagen production, so skin will look brighter, smoother clearer and more even.

“After my patch test, I had my full decolletage area treated,” Linda explained. “It was very quick and simple and they used a guard over the area, so the surrounding skin isn’t affected. Afterwards the area just became quite dry, like a graze that then flaked away.

“The very dark problem areas have all disappeared and I’m thrilled with the results.”

There is minimal downtime after your Harmony XL Pro treatment – for the first week, the pigmented areas may look darker in colour and dry, before they gently flake away. It is advised that high SPF must be worn for at least two weeks after each session, and it is recommended that you have three or four to produce the optimal results.

To find out if you’re suitable for Harmony XL Pro, call us on  020 7432 8727 to arrange a consultation at Karidis Clinic.