Q:

With summer approaching, I’m excited to wear cute sleeveless tops and swimwear, but I have noticed many brown spots on my arms and am self-conscious about them. Is there anything I can do to quickly minimize their appearance before bathing suit season?

A:

It sounds as though you plan on having a significant amount of sun exposure this summer, so we want to be careful to not increase your photosensitivity.

You can exfoliate your skin with either a chemical exfoliant, such as ZO Enzymatic Peel, or physical exfoliant, such as ZO Exfoliating
Polish, Dermaflash, an exfoliating device, simply shave with a razor, or have a dermaplane done then apply a self-tanner. We particularly like the St. Tropez self-tanner line.

Additionally, tinted sunscreen can help blend in the colors and give you the needed sun protection. The exfoliating process is important, so that the self-tanner and sunblock do not adhere more to these areas and appear blotchy. Once the summer season is over, we can work with IPL to clean up the sun damage.