I realize that my years of tanning have caused much of the freckling and hyperpigmentation on my face. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it is simply impossible to remove the age spots while still tanning. Here's a plan I am considering: Use a glycolic acid plus vitamin C/Retinol/licorice/niacinimide combo at night alternating with Copper Sun and non-chemical 15SPF 15 (to still allow tanning) during the day. Or is any tanning simply going to worsen/undue the potential good from the glycolic acid etc in terms of fading the freckling/dark spots? Another option would be to try cryosurgery on the freckles but I don't want to end up with a bunch of white spots. Laser is too expensive and I'm not sold on long-term safety. Red LED lights are also being pushed but I don't know what's real and what's hype. Thoughts? I love the sun, tan easily and can't see living like a pasty mushroom.

Hello Annie
The answer in my opinion, is that there is no such thin as a safe tan. You may feel pasty and dull looking skin, needs a tan to look nice?
As you describe, you suffer from sun damage, and that pale "mushroom" look is to be covered when you tan.
There's never to late to rescue your skin from damage.
I suggest, that you better stay away from the sun, cover up with a high spf 30. Use skin rejuvenating systems that Skin biology provides.
I was a tanoholic in my teen years, tanning beds and 8 hrs in the sun without spf. And when the tan was gone i had pigmented scars and discolorations, couperose. I know this sounds hard but if you - stay out of the sun, wear spf at least spf 20.
Start giving your skin a second chance with copper peptides rejuvenating system and keep in mind that you are on the right track and the positive effects are just days, weeks away. Then i like to say that freckels are attractive and cute!
If you are going to undergo a cosmetic treatment i suggest Dpl-Omnilux, and ipl-treatment on couperoses and pigmented lesions, benefit your skin with copper peptides and you may see that you are beautiful more and more every day.
Robert

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Idelle Musiek,

I tan no more than 30 min a day (which means 15 min front 15 min back) almost year around because I live in a warm sunny area (not every day of course... say twice a week approx) and that does not cause sun damage. The tan builds slowly, it is always moderate but stays for long time even if for some time I do not sunbathe.
Like it is written in SB pages dedicated to sun tanning, moderate sun exposure also have lots of benefits.
Humans evolved in the sun, it is unnatural to cut off the sun completely.

I think the key to avoiding sun damage is moderate exposure. I grew up in an area of Minnesota filled with people from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Our mothers would always make us kids play outside in the summer. Sunscreens were not known. Yet, everyone had beautiful skin until about age 20 because they over did the sun.

We have to distinguish between tanning which is the increase in the skin's melanin and skin damage which is oxidative damage to components of the skin.

Increasing melanin is totally positive. It has strong skin protective and antioxidant actions.

Damaging skin is bad. Skin in a lightly pigmented person can take about 45 minutes of noon time sunlight before exhausting its antioxidant defenses. Then the damage becomes serious.

Moderate sun exposure exposure thickens skin and makes it more protective. Some researchers believe that moderate sun exposure actually reduces skin cancer.

There is the Woody Allen film Sleeper, in which Woody Allen wakes up after dying and being frozen for 200 years. The physicians in the recovery room feed him fatty food and make him smoke cigarettes to speed his recovery. They explain that after 200 years it was found that all the factors previously thought to shorten life were actually life sustaining.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Idelle Musiek,

Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas. I am still unclear as to if it is possible to remove some of the brown spots/damage while still tanning? I would like to maintain a light tan year round. I have lots of respect for Dr. Mercola -- brilliant fellow and an independent thinker. I also follow Dr. Holick -- another brilliant mind. I think most of my facial damage is from past burns from my youth and years using chemical sunscreens.

Yes, you can remove skin damage while tanning.

They are not the same process. Tanning is increasing skin melanin. Totally good.

Skin damage is - well - damage to the skin.

Just look at our Sun Damage section for methods to reduce the appearance of scars and blemishes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Idelle Musiek,

Thank you Dr. Pickart. Since melanin is a good thing in terms of natural protection for skin -- should we avoid topicals like licorice extract and niacinimide which I think are supposed to suppress melanin production in order to reduce solar brown spots??

Yes, avoid them.