Will LED light therapy help reverse all over sun damaged skin?
I can’t speak to the efficacy of LED therapy, though it does sound fishy. I’d strongly advise setting up an appointment with a reputable dermatologist (not just one of those aesthetic medspa places) who can give you a realistic idea of what to expect from various therapies, and help you figure out whether you need to be on the lookout for skin cancer. (My dad was diagnosed with melanoma around your age, and died from it earlier this year; today would have been his 63rd birthday. Without a doubt, his dermatologist’s office can be credited with giving him some of those five extra years.
I have had two cancerous moles removed in the last ten years–the first one when I was 24–due to unprotected sun exposure with very fair skin and north European ancestry. My now fairly frequent contact with excellent dermatologists has been a great education about sun damage and taking care of my skin. What I have learned is a relationship with an excellent dermatologist with experience dealing with sun damage and cancers is incredibly important for learning about your options for improved appearance, texture, and most importantly, catching skin cancers early. Spend your health care dollar on an awesome health care provider who can assess your concerns, create a treatment plan, and start you on regular screenings. Dermatologists have access to excellent products, regimens, and surgical options that are actually effective and often covered by insurance. And, I’ll say it again, can monitor you carefully for cancers and dangerous skin changes. I’m betting you’ll be surprised at how helpf
Definitely see a dermatologist. Non-prescription-strength topicals may help reduce the appearance of mild sun damage. But it’s always best to consult a dermatologist to confirm that you don’t have any actinic keratoses. I’m not a doctor, but my understanding is that LED therapies give only a slight to moderate improvement to the appearance of sun damage over time. Facial peels and ablative treatments, such as dermabrasion or laser resurfacing are more traditional and give better results.
