--- title: "Sun Damage & Uneven Tone" --- Sun damage shows up in two ways. Excess pigment produces brown spots and blotchy tone, and dilated or broken vessels produce redness. Both develop below the surface over years of ultraviolet exposure, which is why topical products do little and resurfacing treatments or peels do more. ## What it is Sun damage reads as two separate problems that often appear together. The **browns** are extra pigment: sun spots, age spots, and a generally uneven, blotchy tone. The **reds** are vascular: diffuse flushing, background redness, and tiny broken capillaries near the surface. Naming which one you have matters, because the light that clears a brown spot is tuned differently from the light that calms redness, and some tools do both in one pass. ## What causes it Ultraviolet light is the driver. Over years it does two things at once: it pushes pigment cells to make melanin unevenly, which leaves spots and blotches, and it breaks down the collagen and vessel walls under the skin, which leaves redness and a rougher surface. The spots people call age spots are really sun spots, tied far more to accumulated exposure than to age itself. On the Central Coast, that exposure adds up year round, not only in summer. One important lookalike: hormonal pigment called melasma can resemble sun spots but has a different cause and needs a gentler, different approach. It has its own page. ## Which kind of sun damage do you have This is what the consultation sorts out, because the answer changes the tool. What you noticeUsually meansThe route that fitsDistinct brown spots on cheeks, hands, chestSun spots, surface pigmentA chemical peel or resurfacingDiffuse redness, flushing, tiny visible vesselsVascular sun damageMedical-grade skincare and sun protectionBlotchy tone plus rough or dull texturePigment and surface change togetherA chemical peel or a resurfacing planDeeper etched texture with the discolorationLayered damageResurfacing the skin's surfacePatchy brown that flares with heat or hormonesPossibly melasma, not sun spotsThe melasma path, treated gently The value is not the list. It is that a physician tells apart pigment from vessels from melasma before any light touches your skin, and matches the setting to your skin tone so the treatment is both effective and safe. ## Why Santa Barbara Face & Body Sun damage is where the wrong setting on the wrong skin does harm, especially on deeper skin tones, where aggressive light can leave new marks. Here the full ladder sits under one physician, from gentle light to deeper resurfacing, and Dr. Pontius sets the plan and the parameters to your skin type rather than to a single machine. That judgment is the difference between clearing a spot and trading it for another. ## When it is worth a consultation **Worth coming in if you** - Have brown spots or blotchy tone that skincare has not moved - See redness or small vessels that do not settle - Want a clearer, more even complexion for the face, chest, or hands - Are proactive about aging skin on the coast **Better to talk it through first if you** - Are pregnant or breastfeeding - Have a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, which should be checked before any cosmetic treatment - Are not sure whether patchy brown is sun damage or melasma, which the consultation distinguishes ## What to expect from a visit Dr. Pontius examines your skin in proper light, separates pigment from vessels from melasma, and checks skin type before recommending anything. Any spot that looks atypical is flagged for evaluation first. You leave knowing which kind of sun damage you have and the safest effective way to clear it. ## What we offer for this People come in about spots and blotchiness and leave with a plan matched to what the sun actually left. Which route fits depends on the read. > Skin Care and Aging, National Institute on Aging, U.S. National Institutes of Health. Age spots are caused by years of sun exposure; UV damage accumulates and leads to premature skin aging. — [Skin Care and Aging, National Institute on Aging, U.S](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/skin-care/skin-care-and-aging) > Fisher GJ et al. Pathophysiology of premature skin aging induced by ultraviolet light. New England Journal of Medicine. UV induces enzymes that degrade dermal collagen, producing photoaging. — [Fisher GJ et al](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711133372003) ## Correcting Sun Damage & Uneven Tone in Santa Barbara, CA Years of California sun can show up as spots, dullness, and uneven tone — and much of it can be gently undone. Here in Santa Barbara, Dr. Pontius treats sun damage holistically, restoring clarity and glow while keeping your skin looking natural. If your complexion no longer reflects how you feel, we'd love to help. Fill out the form below or call us at [(805) 764-9074](tel:+18057649074). ```ld+json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "MedicalCondition", "@id": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/#concern", "name": "Sun Damage & Uneven Tone", "url": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/", "description": "Years of sun leave two marks on the skin: brown spots and uneven pigment, and redness or broken vessels. Both sit deeper than creams reach, which is why they resist skincare. 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At Santa Barbara Face & Body in Santa Barbara, California, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon matches a resurfacing treatment or peel to the type of damage and the patient's skin." }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/#webpage" }, "url": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why won't brown spots fade with skincare?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Because the pigment sits below the surface that creams work on. Brightening products can slow new pigment and help maintenance, but the clusters of melanin that make a sun spot generally need a resurfacing treatment or chemical peel to clear, since those reach the depth where the pigment lives." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are age spots and sun spots the same thing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Effectively yes. What people call age spots are sun spots, driven far more by accumulated ultraviolet exposure than by age itself. That is also why sun protection matters at every age, not only later." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are these treatments safe for darker skin?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Some need more care than others. Superficial chemical peels and microneedling are generally suitable across skin tones, while deeper resurfacing carries a higher risk of pigment change in darker skin, so treatment is matched to your skin type and gentler routes are used when they are safer." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I know it is sun damage and not melasma?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "They can look alike, but melasma is hormonal and heat-driven and tends to flare in patches, while sun spots are more defined and tied to exposure. Telling them apart is part of the first visit, because melasma needs a gentler, different plan." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/#citation-ae532d11", "name": "Skin Care and Aging, National Institute on Aging, U.S", "url": "https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/skin-care/skin-care-and-aging" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://santabarbarafaceandbody.com/concerns/sun-damage-uneven-skin/#citation-abeb27f5", "name": "Fisher GJ et al", "url": "https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199711133372003" } ] } ```