Here's how moms prep for a summer day with kids: fill sippy cups; smear SPF onto wriggling limbs; corral shovels and pails. It's no wonder, then, that as summer vacation fades into memory, your face has all the souvenir sun damage. "You might not use sunscreen religiously, or you're so harried that you take care of the kids but forget about yourself," says New York City dermatologist Debra Jaliman. "Come fall, your skin no longer feels fresh."
The nonsugarcoated version of "no longer fresh" is that you look, well, a tad haggard. Prolonged sun exposure causes wrinkles (UV rays destroy collagen, so skin sags and creases), brown spots (UV rays activate melanocytes in skin to produce more pigment), and rough patches (sun and heat suck out moisture, leaving clumps of dead cells behind). The good news is that a dermatologist can reverse all three problems—including relics from years past. We sent three sun-loving Cookie staffers to see for themselves.
Next Page: Quick Skin Fixes: Wrinkles
