Awesome Tan – Avoiding Cosmetic Surgery if You Can
Have you ever considered how the sun can affect your need for cosmetic surgery?
I am guilty of spending time on the roof of a community hospital in New Jersey during my general surgery training, longer ago than I care to remember. It was a quiet hospital, but nonetheless, I was rotated there because they had to have a surgical resident in-house for the occasional trauma. Stuck there on summer weekends, I spent most of my downtime reading cosmetic surgery journals on the roof of the building. And while there, I acquired an awesome tan.
I wish I knew then what I know now. The sun and the tan it generates, while appealing, is a really bad idea. In my plastic surgery practice, I see daily what damage was done by sun worshippers decades earlier. I’m not just talking about skin cancers. I see facelifts that could have been avoided, blotchy loose skin that need not be there and wrinkles that could be so much less.
The Sun’s rays weaken the fibres in our skin that keep our skin tight and smooth.
So for my Sun worshipping patients, I don’t mean to discourage you, but I hope you can avoid your facelift or laser resurfacing in 10 or 15 years. Use a sunblock of at least 15 and get a spray tan for now – you won’t regret it later! If you have experienced sun damage and are interested in learning more about procedure or treatments to help reduce the signs of aging, contact my practice for a consultation.