Sun damage is the pigment and vascular change UV light leaves in the skin, seen as brown spots, uneven tone, redness, and broken vessels. 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.
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 notice | Usually means | The route that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Distinct brown spots on cheeks, hands, chest | Sun spots, surface pigment | A chemical peel or resurfacing |
| Diffuse redness, flushing, tiny visible vessels | Vascular sun damage | Medical-grade skincare and sun protection |
| Blotchy tone plus rough or dull texture | Pigment and surface change together | A chemical peel or a resurfacing plan |
| Deeper etched texture with the discoloration | Layered damage | Resurfacing the skin’s surface |
| Patchy brown that flares with heat or hormones | Possibly melasma, not sun spots | The 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.
- Two forms
- Brown pigment, and red or vascular change
- Driver
- Accumulated ultraviolet exposure
- Common areas
- Face, neck, chest, backs of the hands
- First step
- A physician read separating pigment, vessels, and melasma
- Treated by
- Dr. Allison Pontius, board-certified facial plastic surgeon
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.