Vitage SPF 30 works! Another satisfied customer at Riverbanks

If you're a sun lover, it's easy to think that using a higher SPF sun cream will make getting a tan harder, and reach for the lower SPF, or indeed no protection at all.

So it's always nice when we get testimonials from customers who have become converts!

Says Mrs Dawson, who bought our Vitage SPF30 skin protector:

I have to admit I was reluctant to use such a high SPF when it was first recommended to me at the clinic.

I love the sun, and feel that my skin looked better with a "healthy" tan.

I was concerned that using sun protection 30 would mean that I would stay pale and uninteresting throughout the summer!

However, common sense prevailed. One of the reasons for going to Riverbanks Clinic was because of the premature ageing and sun spots on my skin - so I thought I would take the plunge.

Imagine my delight & surprise when my skin gradually turned brown - and I was secure in the knowledge that whilst there's no such thing as a healthy tan - I was protecting my skin and minimising the negative effects of the sun.

Vitage SPF 30 is now part of my daily skin care regime - and I have just purchased the larger size to use on my whole body when I sun bathe. I can definitely recommend everyone using it - to prevent further damage to your skin or to protect your skin against damage in the first place.

It's great to see someone taking our advice, although reluctantly at first, and realising that these products DON'T stop you getting a tan but DO help to protect your skin!

Browse through the Vitage range in our online shop, and make sure that your skin is protected, whatever the weather!

Skin complaints and how to treat them - #4: Sun Damaged Skin

Having covered Acne, Age Spots and Rosacea in previous blogs, now we turn to Sun Damaged Skin.

Remember, we're always available to talk about any skin complaints you may have, and to let you know whether we can help with them, on 01582 762 877.

#4 - Sun Damaged Skin

The harmful effects of over exposure to the sun present themselves as skin cancer, uneven pigmentation and Rosacea, amongst other health problems.

Treatment: The first step is to spend less time in the sun or use a high factor skin protection cream. The two main treatments are Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and SmartXide Laser Skin Resurfacing. Prevention is often better than cure, and using a powerful antioxidant agent such as idebenone has been shown to be very helpful.

Tomorrow we talk about Blood Blisters.

The horrors of years of tanning, and how to fix them

You may have read in the Daily Mail over the weekend how TV presenter Anna Ryder Richardson finally realised that her lifelong love of tanning had lead to more than she expected.

Says Ryder Richardson: "I knew that my love of tanning would encourage wrinkling but I was horrified when she [the surgeon] told me that it speeds up the destruction of collagen, which gives plumpness to your face"

She goes on to tell how in her 20s she had a sunbed at home and used coconut oil in the summer to get a quicker and better tan - no SPF50 for her! And let's not forget that stint in the I'm A Celebrity Jungle, which may have seemed like heaven for her tan, but would have played hell with her skin.

The problem, as the article states, is that:

Collagen loss, she [the surgeon] explained, happens to everyone, particularly after the age of 35. Collagen is an elastic tissue that helps build cartilage, ligaments and tendons.

It is also responsible for skin strength and elasticity and is the main component of the lower layer of skin - the dermis.

The production of collagen slows down in your early 30s due to the ageing process. This is when the face starts to lose volume and your cheeks can start to look gaunt by your early 40s.

But the loss of collagen is greater when your skin is exposed to sun and ultra-violet (UV) light.

The rate at which it diminishes varies from individual to individual, but exposing your face to sunlight continually over decades could speed up the rate of collagen depletion and the corresponding loss in facial volume by ten years or more.

So Ms Ryder Richardson turned to Sculptra, a non invasive cosmetic procedure that can fill out your face to restore the plumpness of youth and give you a kind of facelift that lasts between 18 months and two years.

And she appears to be thrilled with the results, saying "After six weeks, my skin was definitely looking better. My cheeks were fuller. Filled out by the extra volume, the jowls that were beginning to appear have vanished. At 12 weeks, and after having had the second treatment, my face is looking generally fuller and more lifted. Friends keep telling me I look 'really well'."

Dr Ravi Jain, of Riverbanks Clinic sits on the advisory board to the makers of Sculptra and has treated many patients worried about the effects of tanning on their skin. To find out more about the Sculptra 'facelift', visit the Riverbanks website now!

Riverbanks Clinic May eNewsletter

Our May eNewsletter is out, so if you want to find out more about:

• Fantastic sun screen with an environmental protection factor of 95 and a sun protection factor of 30
• How Suzanne is getting on after her surgery
• Reversing the aging process with Sculptra
• Dr Ravi in the news
• Special offers on Diamondtone Micro-Skin Resurfacing and Omnilux LED Medical Phototherapy

Then read the eNewsletter online now!

And don't forget to sign up to receive future copies by visiting our Newsletter page.