What’s the Best Anti-Aging Treatment?

It’s hard to watch television or read a magazine without being bombarded by ads for anti-aging creams and treatments. The search for the fountain of youth has been going on for thousands of years. But there’s something so simple that you can do now that might help you keep a younger appearance.
What’s the secret? Sunscreen. Every day the sun bombards the Earth with harmful ultraviolet rays. These rays damage our skin, and they eventually cause more damage than our bodies can repair. The damage to fibers in the skin causes wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots. The cumulative effect of this is also skin cancer, which can be fatal or disfiguring.
Skin cancers often occur in sun-exposed areas, such as the face and scalp. Excision of the skin cancers requires wide removal of skin and tissue. Aggressive skin cancers can invade muscle and bones, which requires extensive reconstruction to restore function and form. Sometimes a normal appearance cannot be restored. Aggressive melanoma can spread and be fatal.
The obsession with tanning results in millions of people unnecessarily increasing their risk of skin cancer. There is no such thing as “safe” indoor tanning. People are frequently developing skin cancers in their 20s. Studies have shown indoor tanning increases your risk of skin cancer even from just one visit. Use of tanning beds before the age of 30 has been shown to increase the lifetime risk of melanoma by 75 percent.
So, the best thing you can do for yourself is to avoid excess sun exposure, which can be quite hard in sunny California. At the very least, wear a hat and sunscreen for UVA and UVB protection with an SPF of at least 30. Sunscreen needs to be applied liberally when you are out in the sun, usually before sun exposure and then every, one to two hours. Your future self and family will thank you.
Call us today at 661-253-2211 to discuss your options. Dr. Tran is a board-certified plastic surgeon trained at the Mayo Clinic. Visit us at www.paultranmd.com.