The arms and legs carry a lot of the sun damage occurs over years of sun damage. We all remember the days of NO sunscreen and baby oil to get the ultimate bronzing effect. Unfortunately this elective baking of the skin, caused the appearance of sun spots (solar lentigenes) and loss of collagen and elastin to our skin. While our make-up had sunscreen to protect our face, we often forgot about other body areas such as the arms and legs. Extremity pigmentation catches our attention when we are wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts in warmer weather. .
While it is of paramount importance to have a total body skin check to ensure that there are no areas of suspicion, once you are cleared you can then think about different treatment modalities to rid yourself of them. The best time to rid the arms and legs of the unsightly pigmentation is during the cooler months when are skin does not have a tan and we can cover up!
One of my favorite treatments for this area is the Palomar YS IPL which is an intense pulsed light. We treat the total arms or legs in 1 to 3 sessions with this device. There is cold air blowing the entire time so that the treatment is very tolerable and no numbing is needed for these large surface area zones.
After the treatment, the pigmentation will appear a bit darker and will take on a texturized look like coffee grounds. Over the next 1-2 weeks, these areas will come to the surface and slough off revealing clearer skin.
Easy to do and amazing rewards.
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