Sun-Damaged Skin: How to Repair Sun Damage on Face, Chest and Hands

Sun damage builds up over time.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) describes the buildup showing up as freckles, age spots and wrinkles, and notes that some people go on to develop precancerous growths called actinic keratoses, or skin cancer itself.

Age spots show up where the sun hits: the AAD names sun-exposed areas such as the face and the hands.

The rest of this guide groups the other signs the way treatment menus do.

Sciton aims its Forever Young BBL protocol at aging and sun damage and names age spots, freckles, redness and small vessels; the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery describes non-ablative laser rejuvenation for age spots, scars, sun damage and wrinkles; Cleveland Clinic lists sun damage, age spots, uneven pigmentation and fine lines around the eyes, forehead or mouth among the concerns it says can make someone a good candidate for laser resurfacing.

One more word to recognize: "photoaging." This guide uses "photoaging" and "sun damage" for the same territory — the spots, redness, texture, fine lines and laxity above — so a "photoaging treatment" search is, on this site, a search for the treatments mapped in the sections below.

One thing to separate early: not every mark is cosmetic.

The AAD says precancerous actinic keratoses should be seen by a board-certified dermatologist, and the last section of this guide covers the warning signs that mean a spot goes to a dermatologist before it goes anywhere near a treatment room.

Set expectations with the AAD's own framing: you cannot undo years of sun damage, but treatment can even out your skin tone and smooth wrinkles.

Spots respond fast in the AAD's guidance — one or two laser treatments can treat age spots quickly, with longer-lasting results than a fading cream.

Permanence is not what the AAD promises, though: it warns that age spots can return without sun protection, and that chemical peel results are mostly not permanent because skin keeps aging; people with lots of sun damage or actinic keratoses are likely to keep developing new spots.

So "repair" on this page means improvement you keep up, not a reset.

The sections below map each sign to what the evidence and the device clearances actually cover.

And if your main problem is patches of darker pigment rather than overall sun damage, that can be melasma, which follows different rules — the melasma guide covers it, and the skin and body concerns hub maps each problem to the treatments that address it.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is not a laser.

Devices flash broad-spectrum light — one cleared example, the Lumenis Stellar M22 (510(k) K193500, 2020), spans 400–1200 nm through interchangeable filters — and "photofacial" is a marketing word, not an FDA term.

Cleared uses are device-specific.

That same device is cleared for benign pigmented lesions (including dyschromia, hyperpigmentation, melasma and freckles) and for benign vascular lesions including facial telangiectasias, among other uses.

The AAD's guidance — written for rosacea, where redness is the target — says IPL can reduce flushing and improve skin texture, that it is gentler on the skin than a laser, and that it requires more treatment sessions than laser therapy.

The AAD also says lasers or IPL can treat visible facial blood vessels.

BBL (BroadBand Light) is Sciton's own brand of intense pulsed light — the same idea under Sciton's name.

Its Forever Young BBL protocol is aimed at aging and sun damage — Sciton names age spots, freckles, redness and small vessels — and Sciton says sessions take about 30 minutes, that patients feel warm for 30–60 minutes afterward, and that downtime is typically minimal.

Those are the maker's words, not an independent measurement.

The two device families each have their own guide here — the IPL photofacial guide and the BBL photofacial guide cover session counts, cost structure and risks in depth.

For sun spots specifically, a 2025 systematic review of solar lentigines (Mardani et al., 41 trials, 3,234 patients) reported success ranges of 74.6–90% for IPL, 67.9–93.02% for picosecond laser, 36.36–76.6% for Q-switched laser and 37–71.4% for cryotherapy.

Those are ranges across different trials, not head-to-head comparisons.

The same review found IPL and pulsed dye less associated with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and cryotherapy with more severe side effects.

The AAD's age-spot guidance fits that picture: one or two laser treatments can treat age spots quickly, with longer-lasting results than creams, but treated skin can crust or darken temporarily — and cryosurgery, the freezing option behind the "cryotherapy for sun spots" searches, can leave permanent darkening, lightening or scarring, which the AAD calls rare with a dermatologist.

On the redness and texture side, a multicenter IPL photorejuvenation study of 93 patients (skin types I–III, up to five full-face treatments at 4-week intervals) found wrinkle and elastosis scores improved in 82% of patients at 4 months and 75% at 6 months after the last treatment.

It is an older study, in light skin types only, with device-experienced investigators among its authors.

One caution belongs before the booking, not after: the AAD recommends a board-certified dermatologist skin exam before age spots are treated, because a spot may not be a spot.

The last section covers what should trigger that check.

Where light treatments target color, resurfacing targets the skin's surface.

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) defines the two families: non-ablative laser rejuvenation creates heat without injuring the skin surface and is used for age spots, scars, sun damage and wrinkles, while ablative resurfacing removes layers of skin — the deeper end of that spectrum is CO2 work, which the CO2 laser resurfacing guide covers, and the laser resurfacing guide compares both families by cost and recovery.

Cleveland Clinic lists acne scars, uneven pigmentation, age spots, sun damage and fine lines around the eyes, forehead or mouth among the concerns that make someone a good candidate for laser resurfacing, and names deep wrinkles and excessive or sagging skin as reasons someone may not be.

For laxity, the AAD calls laser resurfacing the most effective non-surgical procedure for tightening loose skin — with 5 to 7 days at home and a higher risk of side effects such as scarring.

Its gentler tightening options sit lower on the same scale: the AAD says non-wounding lasers need 3 to 5 treatments, with results appearing 2 to 6 months after the last one.

Fraxel shows how a resurfacing label reads.

Solta's cleared indications for the 1550 nm Fraxel include skin resurfacing for dyschromia (uneven color), age spots and sun spots, actinic keratosis, melasma, wrinkles around the eyes, and acne and surgical scars; the 1927 nm version is cleared for resurfacing including actinic keratosis and pigmented lesions such as age spots, sun spots and freckles.

Cleared is the right verb — these are 510(k) device clearances, not FDA approvals.

The Fraxel guide covers its two wavelengths, downtime and cost.

The Halo laser, a hybrid fractional laser, has its own guide.

Laxity that resurfacing cannot fix has its own device category. Ultherapy is FDA-cleared (510(k) K243035, 24 February 2025) to lift the eyebrow, lift lax submental (under-chin) and neck tissue, improve décolleté lines and wrinkles, and improve the appearance of skin laxity on the abdomen and arms — and the clearance's stated purpose is "temporary changes" in the appearance of the skin.

Chest and hands need their own note, because this page's title names them and the treatment map is narrower there. Radiesse is FDA-approved (PMA) for correcting volume loss in the hands (2015) and, since 31 March 2026, for décolleté wrinkles when diluted 1:2 with sterile saline in patients 22 and older.

Hyperdiluted Radiesse on the neck, arms, abdomen or thighs is not on any current US label for those areas — it is off-label.

Timing matters after sun exposure: the AAD says a laser cannot be used on tanned or sunburned skin, and that dermatologists advise stopping retinoid or glycolic acid products for 2 to 4 weeks before laser treatment, and smoking for at least 2 weeks.

Chemical peels are another office treatment for sun-damaged skin.

The AAD lists sun-damaged skin, age spots, freckles, melasma, uneven tone, fine lines and some acne among what dermatologists use them for, and notes that insurance does not cover them.

The chemical peel guide compares the types, cost and recovery in detail.

Recovery depends on depth.

The AAD's healing timeline: a light ("lunchtime") peel heals in 1 to 7 days, with redness followed by 3 to 7 days of scaling and makeup usually the same or next day — light peels are often done as a series of 3 to 5, spaced 2 to 5 weeks apart.

A medium peel heals in 7 to 14 days, with swelling, blisters and crusting and makeup after 5 to 7 days.

A deep peel heals in 14 to 21 days and needs 2 to 3 weeks at home and 3 to 6 months of total sun avoidance.

A deep peel is a different undertaking: the AAD says it must be done in a surgical setting under general anesthesia, and that a person can have only one deep peel.

Mild and medium peels can be repeated, but peel results are mostly not permanent — skin keeps aging, and people with lots of sun damage or actinic keratoses are likely to keep developing new spots.

Microneedling is a different tool.

The AAD says dermatologists use it to diminish dark spots, uneven skin texture and tone, and wrinkles and fine lines, among other conditions — clinical uses, not FDA indications.

The FDA has authorized microneedling devices only to improve the appearance of facial acne scars, facial wrinkles and abdominal scars in patients aged 22 or older; dark spots and uneven tone are not among those authorized uses.

Microneedling also comes with its own AAD cautions.

The AAD says to postpone it if you have a tan or recent sun exposure, a skin infection, or deep, painful pimples, or within one month of your last isotretinoin dose — and to avoid it if you heal poorly, have keloids, are immunosuppressed, or are having radiation or skin cancer treatment in the area.

After microneedling, the AAD describes redness (or darkening on darker skin), a sunburn-like feeling and swelling that usually clear in a few days to a week; most people go back to work right away but should wait 24 hours before makeup.

Skin tone changes the risk math.

On the Fitzpatrick scale, which classifies skin by its reaction to sun, a 2016 review found that traditional resurfacing — dermabrasion, peels and lasers — carries a higher risk of pigment change and scarring in types IV–VI, with microneedling possibly offering a more favorable safety profile.

The AAD separately warns that people with skin of color can develop permanent pigment problems from chemical peels without expertise in darker skin, and says they can have peels safely with an experienced dermatologist.

Before any spot is faded, frozen or lasered, the AAD wants it identified.

Its age-spot guidance says a dermatologist should examine age spots before they are treated, because what looks like an age spot could be skin cancer — and using an age-spot treatment to fade a skin cancer can give the cancer time to grow and possibly spread.

The AAD also says people with light skin tones who seldom protect their skin from the sun can develop actinic keratoses — precancerous growths it says should be seen by a board-certified dermatologist.

For melanoma, the AAD publishes the ABCDE warning signs: Asymmetry; an irregular or poorly defined Border; varied Color (tan, brown, black, white, red or blue areas); a Diameter usually over 6 mm — a pencil eraser — though melanomas can be smaller; and Evolving, meaning the spot is changing in size, shape or color.

The AAD says to see a dermatologist immediately for any of these.

Its plainer rule covers everything else: new spots, spots that look different from your other spots, and spots that are changing, itching or bleeding all warrant a dermatologist appointment.

The order is the point: the AAD recommends a board-certified dermatologist skin exam before age spots are treated, so the exam comes before any photofacial, peel or laser is booked for them.

MedSpaStandard's directory of med spas, with local treatment pages, is being built now — it is not live yet, so this page cannot point you to a specific practice near you.

What we can hand you is the vetting the American Academy of Dermatology suggests before any cosmetic procedure.

Its question list: Is the provider board-certified?

How many times have they done this exact procedure?

How often do they treat patients with your skin tone and type?

What results can you realistically expect — ask to see before-and-after photos of people with a similar skin tone?

And what are the risks, recovery time, number of treatments and cost?

Two AAD warnings apply directly to the treatments on this page.

If someone offers to laser-treat a scar without a medical consultation first, the AAD says walk away — and for laser or light treatment of facial blood vessels, the AAD recommends a board-certified dermatologist.

State scope-of-practice rules, licensing and the red flags that go with them have a guide of their own at med spa laws, and the 10-point checklist for choosing a med spa turns the vetting into questions you can ask on the phone.

Whichever practice you shortlist, the dermatologist-first rule from the last section stands: spots are identified before they are treated, and a practice that skips that step answers your vetting question for you.