We may love living in sunny Texas, but those Lone Star rays aren’t great for the skin. Here, Sarah Humphrey, master aesthetician at premier Dallas medical spa Bella MD, clears up all your skin-care quandaries, including how to handle those unsightly sunspots.

Q: What do you recommend for an even tone and spotless skin?

A: One of the biggest complaints I hear from women who come into Bella MD is that as they age, they need to wear more and more makeup to cover their complexion. The best way to counteract that is to clear all color from the skin, and the gold-standard method is the IPL photofacial.

The light-based therapy targets any unwanted pigmentation. It shows huge visual improvement on sunspots, age spots, even melasma, which is hormonally driven pigmentation, as well as redness or blotchiness from rosacea or broken capillaries.

Q: What about skin texture — fine lines, wrinkles, and large pores, for example?

A: One of the procedures I’ve been doing a lot lately that’s been showing great results is Dermapen micro-needling. The Dermapen is a device that creates a very fine physical injury on the surface of the skin so that your body has to repair itself and build new collagen.

It’s also my go-to for people who have any scarring on their face or enlarged pores. I’ve even treated stretch marks and surgical scars with it. What I love is that even though it’s an aggressive treatment, the natural process of the injury mechanism is actually a holistic approach to treating your skin texture.

Q: If it’s aggressive, does that mean we’re out of commission for a while?

A: One thing that makes Bella MD different than a lot of places is that we always pair the Dermapen micro-needling with a growth-factor infusion that’s just as aggressively healing. So now a treatment that should have about a week of downtime turns into about a day.

We’re taking advantage of having those open micro-channels on the skin, and we’re infusing it with growth factor that tricks those cells into thinking they are young, healthy, and perfect — which gives you incredible skin in the end.

Q: What’s a clarifying treatment for twenty- and thirtysomethings who aren’t dealing with deep wrinkles but need a good pick-me-up?

A: The HydraFacial is a great general treatment for all ages, and definitely one of the most popular for our younger patients. It’s akin to a normal facial but significantly more clinical than something you would receive in a day spa.

The HydraFacial machine uses a process called vortex infusion to lift the skin, open the pores, and deposit the product deeper in than if we just manually applied it. And whether you are dry or oily, we can cater it to your skin type. Everything is water-based, so it doesn’t reclog the pores, and the attached LED light kills bacteria, which is very effective for acne-prone patients.

What’s great is that the HydraFacial has zero downtime. In fact, we see a lot of people come in to Bella MD before a big event just to get a gorgeous glow.

Learn more about getting great skin at Bella MD by visiting www.bellamd.com or calling 214-378-6500.