A Decade-Long Journey to Fix Sun Spots
Growing up, Lisa spent her summers in Italy stretched out in the sun — with little sunscreen. And when she wasn’t on the beach or at the pool, she didn’t wear sunscreen at all. “I never wore SPF every day. I thought it was something you just put on when you went to the beach or the pool or something,” she said. Lisa, now 41, grew up during the “Britney Spears era,” when having a tan was the “thing to do,” she explained. Her summers in Italy were surrounded by salty waves — she’d put a bit of sunscreen on in the morning and never reapplied, but she’d go in and out the water. Her mother would yell at her, but she always wanted a tan so she would never reapply. Oh, and did I mention that when she wasn’t in the sun she’d frequent tanning salons, too?
In her mid-to-late 20s, she started hearing more about Botox and filler, and that got her interested in seeing a doctor. She landed in Dr. Shereene Idriss’s office. Dr. Idriss is a beloved New York City board-certified dermatologist with a year and a half long wait list for her Bryant Park office. In 2015, Lisa went to her for injectables. Around the same time, she started noticing freckles forming on her skin. “She told me it wasn’t freckles; it was all sun damage, and I was full of sun spots,” Lisa said. “I started to do these treatments to make me look younger and better. I just realized, ‘I’m doing all of this and yet my skin is full of brown spots, and it’s aging me.’” That started her journey to fixing her sun spots. Here’s how she did it.
First, she tried Fraxel and IPL treatments
Her journey to fixing her sun spots started over a decade ago. “In 2014-15, we weren’t onto lasers and fixing sun spots yet; it was more of everyone wanting to do injectables and Botox,” Lisa said. But Dr. Idriss and her team advised her to take care of her skin quality because “that’s what was aging me more than anything.” Dr. Idriss suggested that she start out with a Fraxel laser, a skin-resurfacing laser technology that sheds damaged skin cells and leads to the growth of new, healthy skin cells. She did two during an eight-month period.
In between those treatments, she did intense-pulse-light treatment, a noninvasive treatment that uses broad-spectrum light to target spots like sun spots, freckles, and age spots, every six weeks.
Price: $7,800
Verdict: It took a significant amount of her sun spots off, but not all of them.
Then she changed her skin-care routine and added hydroquinone
After seeing the results over time from Fraxel, Dr. Idriss put Lisa on a strict routine. “She introduced me to hydroquinone. I would do two months on and two months off. She would soak pads in 4 percent hydroquinone.” The chemical is often used to treat hyperpigmentation in skin by lightening the skin and reducing spots. When Lisa would take her makeup off at night, she’d layer the pads with a hydroquinone gel and a tretinoin, a topical prescribed medication that acts as a retinoid. In the mornings, she would use sunscreen — this time, every single day. She also stopped spending so much time in the sun, and if she did, she would be wearing a hat and slathered in sunscreen.
Price: The medication was prescribed.
Verdict: Over time, being consistent with the routine for a few months, she started to see more results.
How she’s maintaining her skin now:
Now, Lisa has completely changed her lifestyle. She gets either IPL treatments or Clear + Brilliant treatments every few months, but in between she’s focused on being consistent with her skin-care routine, which includes a lot of Dr. Idriss’s products. She believes in being dedicated and consistent for results. “The positive change on my skin has made me happier and I’m more confident. Honestly, I haven’t even worn foundation since I started seeing Shereene. I don’t need it.”
Here’s the routine she swears by to maintain her skin.
Dr. Idriss Soft Wash
Dr. Idriss’s gel cleanser removes makeup and gently cleanses the skin while hydrating it with glycerin.
Valmont Primary Veil
This milky Valmont mist acts as an essence. It refreshes the skin with hyaluronic acid and strengthens it with liposome DNA.
Major Fade Flash Mask
When she wants to give her skin a bit of extra love, she uses Dr. Idriss’s Major Fade mask, an exfoliating mask with lactic acid and tranexamic acid to even out the skin tone and treat discoloration.
Medical Beauty Research Modukine Serum
Lisa considers herself a “skin-care junkie.” This anti-aging serum is made for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin; it calms irritated skin and has a lifting effect.
Dr. Idriss Major Fade Hyper Serum
Her next serum is a popular hyperpigmentation treatment, Dr. Idriss’s dark-spot Major Fade serum with kojic acid and alpha arbutin to treat uneven skin and diminish the look of dark spots. “This one has been the main game changer for my skin,” she said.
Dr. Idriss Major Fade Active Seal Dark Spot Vitamin C Gel Moisturizer
To moisturize, she uses the Major Fade cream; it goes hand and hand with the serum. It’s a gel cream that treats discoloration in the skin while ceramides provide deep moisture.
Supergoop! Glowscreen Sunscreen SPF 40
For a while, she used Supergoop’s Glow Screen, a tinted sunscreen with SPF 40 and a luminous glowy finish.
Dr. Idriss Major Fade Disco Block Discoloration Treatment SPF 50
Dr. Idriss’s new sunscreen is the latest sunscreen in her routine. It’s SPF 50 and packed with ceramides for a nourishing finish, and it treats dark spots, so now she can protect her skin and treat it simultaneously.
Price: $4,644 (includes one treatment a year of Fraxel, IPL, and Clear + Brilliant and her skin-care routine)
Verdict: With consistency, this is working for her.