The Sonoran Desert’s year-round sunshine makes the area a popular vacation and retirement destination. But if you work at a Phoenix spa, all it does is make your job that much harder. A Phoenix facial treatment must cleanse and exfoliate while protecting skin from a constant barrage of UV rays. This is no easy task, but there’s at least some good news. Skin is surprisingly resilient, and it can even repair minor damage if you care for it the right way. Read on to learn how natural healing and aestheticians’ efforts work together to keep your skin healthy and radiant.

What does the skin do?

A complex system of more than 300 million constantly regenerating cells, nerves, and glands, the skin is the body's largest organ. It’s also the body’s first line of defense against the environment. This flexible, waterproof sheath helps protect people from hazards such as bacteria, chemicals, and, yes, harsh sunlight.

What happens as skin ages?

New skin cells are constantly replacing the old, pushing off roughly 1.5 pounds of dead cells every year. Over time, the epidermis—the outermost of the skin’s three layers—slowly loses its ability to retain moisture or spring back into place, which can result in wrinkles, dryness, and other signs of wisdom gained. Spas in Phoenix have ways for treating natural signs of aging. However, the city’s aestheticians also have to contend with dehydrated skin, sunburns, and other complications caused by the dry desert heat.

What exactly is a sunburn?

Interestingly, the term “sunburn” is a bit of a misnomer. Our faces may turn red when we're sunburned, but the color isn't actually a burn. Instead, what we see is blood rushing to the face to repair the cellular damage caused by UV rays. Some Phoenix spas, such as Madison Avenue Salon & Day Spa in Chandler, offer gentle facials specially designed to soothe irritated, sunburned skin and reduce signs of redness.