Outsmart the Sun

LaRue, 49, began noticing sun spots and saggy skin on her face, neck and arms. Her once soft skin became very dry. Not eager for plastic surgery, she turned to today’s latest treatments and products to get her skin looking and feeling better. Here’s a report on how the spa treatments, oral supplements and natural at-home products got results for her—and can help you, too

Major Mistake: Skipping the Sunscreen

As millions of Americans contract skin cancer each year, sunscreen is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. The sun is responsible for 90 percent of the skin’s aging, leading to lines, wrinkles, discolorations and changes in thickness and elasticity. Had LaRue worn sunscreen, she could have postponed premature aging, avoiding brown spots and flabby skin.

But what level of sun protection factor (SPF) do you need—15, 30, 50? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend at least SPF 15, yet Dr. Craig Eichler, a dermatologist at Physicians Regional Medical Center, suggests a 30 SPF level and stresses the importance of applying a sufficient amount of sunscreen: one teaspoon for the face and neck, one teaspoon for each appendage. That adds up to about one ounce, or one-fifth of the average sunscreen bottle, for the entire body.

And if you think your SPF foundation does the trick, think again. "Makeup sunblockers are not adequate. It’s not a bad thing, but you have to use sunblock first," says Dr. Patrick M. Flaharty. He slaps on his Azul Signature Anti-Aging Sunscreen from head to toe every morning before walking out the door.

When shopping, should you buy sunscreen or sunblock? Sunscreen protects your skin from ultraviolet B rays, the major cause of cancer, while sunblock obstructs ultraviolet A rays, which are the primary cause of aging, freckles and brown blotches. To ensure you’re getting a quality product, read the label, checking the product’s ingredients for zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzene or mexoryl: four key UVA blockers, says Eichler.

Beyond sunblock, Eichler suggests avoiding the outdoors during the hottest parts of the day when the sun is strongest. Here’s how to tell: When your shadow is longer than you are tall, the sun is a no-go. But LaRue won’t stay out of the sun if it means skipping out on golf and boating.

"I don’t worry about being out in the sun. I want to look good, but if you worry too much about being out there, you’ll ruin your life," she says. So she wears sunglasses constantly to shield her face. Broad-brimmed hats and tightly woven fabrics are other useful forms of protection. Sun Guard, a new product by Rit, is a laundry additive that washes an invisible shield into clothing, increasing its sun-protection value.

Dealing with Sun Damage

Beyond sunscreen, LaRue’s skin care regimen includes the Cellex-C High Potency Serum and the all-natural Edimi Face and Neck Cleanser from Dr. Michael Tick of Naples. She also takes antioxidants daily and drinks krill oil, which she says makes her skin thicker. She schedules deep-cleansing facials monthly at the spa.

"The biggest skincare mistake is using the wrong kind of home care," says LaRue’s aesthetician, Doreen DeStefano, founder of Integrated Skincare in Fort Myers. "The use of a good quality skin care product consistently is very important—just as important as your monthly facial."

In addition to her monthly facial, LaRue has a Vi Peel every six months to remove brown spots. The medium-depth peel is equivalent to a series of aesthetician-strength peels and runs about $270. It’s applied at the spa and peels off over a seven-day period.

"There’s definitely a change in my skin," LaRue says. "I had very minimal spots, and I’m not bothered by any on my face right now. I just don’t see any, and I don’t use any makeup."

A photofacial laser treatment is a surgical option that causes the spots to flake off within 10 days. The procedure costs about $600, and one to three treatments are sufficient to remove all spots. Although the method is not invasive, there is some down time, and it does involve a laser. You’ll find an at-home alternative natural treatment in Edimi Hyperpigmentation Cream.

For youthful, plump skin, LaRue also undergoes a microcurrent face lift: an all-natural, nonsurgical cosmetic technique that uses electrical currents to strengthen facial muscles, thereby lifting and tightening the skin. She noticed an improvement in her skin’s elasticity in the following days.

"It feels firmer, and it works as the days go by," she says. Studies show that the non-invasive procedure increases the production of collagen and elastin (the body’s connective tissues) as well as blood circulation. There’s a surgical but non-invasive option, laser skin resurfacing, a newer alternative to microdermabrasion that removes the top layers of the skin and makes skin soft and smooth.

"A single procedure takes off the top layer of the skin and allows a new layer to heal in about 10 days, which is smoother and tighter," says Flaharty, who offers the treatment for $5,000. Peptide serums can be used to plump and smooth inelastic, droopy skin. DeStefano swears by copper peptides for herself and her clients. "They really enhance the skin’s ability to heal itself," she says. She also recommends antioxidant and vitamin B serums like Cellex-C’s Hydra-5.

When it comes to lines and creases, Botox, the injection of the botulinum toxin that relaxes facial muscles, lasts from three to six months. And although it’s FDA-approved, new fears that the substance has damaging neurological side effects emerged after an Italian medical study was published in the April issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Flaharty offers injectable alternatives, Radiesse and Restylane, which reduce wrinkles, lines and creases, and their effects last years instead of months. Additionally, there’s no possibility of allergic reactions.

LaRue undergoes hyaluronic acid injections, the natural alternative to Botox, once a month to combat fine lines and wrinkles on her mouth and neck areas. "I noticed that the lines around my mouth you can barely see, and there’s improvement in my neck," she says. "It also improves my skin’s brightness. You do get a lot of pinches on the face, which I hate, but it’s worth it."

LaRue takes a practical, balanced approach to skin care and tries not to stress. "If you have good vitamins and antioxidants along with a good [aesthetician] to take care of your skin, everything else, you’ve just gotta let it go," she says. "Otherwise, don’t live in Florida, right?"