What skin care ingredients can help treat sun-damaged skin?
The most effective ingredient to treat sun-damaged skin is vitamin A in the form of retinol; it helps with pigmentation, wrinkles and texture. Watch dermatologist Cybele Fishman, MD, discuss why sunscreens and antioxidants are also key ingredients.
Transcript
I really prefer sunscreens with zinc or titanium. And the reason is that those are natural ingredients. You can't be allergic to them.
And I just think that they're more effective and more safe than the chemical sunscreens. [GENTLE MUSIC]
So I'm a big fan of vitamin A for the skin. And you can get that in many forms. Over the counter, you'll see it as retinol.
And you can also get a prescription from your dermatologist for tretinoin, which is the more potent version of vitamin A.
And to me, vitamin A is the cornerstone of treating sun damaged skin because it's going to help you with almost everything. It's going to help with the pigmentation.
It's going to help with the wrinkles. It's going to help improve the texture of your skin. It's kind of the miracle cream.
And it has more science to back it up than any other skincare ingredient. And I think that's important to look at as well.
Other than that, I know this is obvious, but you got to wear sunscreen. Sometimes people come and they're spending tons of time in the sun with no sunscreen, and they're like, well,
what can I do for my skin? It's like, well, you got to spend less time in the sun, and you have to use sunscreen. And I really prefer sunscreens with zinc or titanium.
And the reason is that those are natural ingredients. You can't be allergic to them. And I just think that they're more effective and more safe
than the chemical sunscreens. And lastly, if you want to call a triumvirate of what to put on your skin, I would use a vitamin A
like retinol or tretinoin. I'd use an SPF with zinc. And the last thing is an antioxidant. And there's tons of antioxidants you can use,
including green tea, vitamin C, pomegranate. There's tons of them now. And you'll find one in the favorite brand that you have.
skin health
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