30 Years of Dallas Sun: What It Does to Your Skin and How to Fix It
Published 2026-02-27 • Summer House Editorial Team
If you've lived in Dallas for decades, your skin has taken a different kind of beating than skin in Seattle or Chicago. The UV index in North Texas stays significant year-round, and cumulative sun exposure is the single largest driver of premature skin aging. Most people don't realize how much damage has accumulated until they compare their sun-exposed skin to areas that were covered. Here's what to know and what to do about it.
What Cumulative Dallas Sun Does to Skin
UVA rays — the ones responsible for photoaging — penetrate glass and cloud cover, and they're present throughout the year at meaningful intensity in Dallas. They work slowly and invisibly: breaking down collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis, damaging melanocytes to produce irregular pigmentation, and causing the thickening and roughening of the epidermis that characterizes photo-damaged skin. The effects accumulate over decades. The face, neck, chest, and hands are the most affected because they're the least covered.
Common presentations of cumulative Texas sun damage include solar lentigines (flat brown spots), diffuse redness from dilated capillaries (particularly on the cheeks and nose), actinic keratoses (rough, slightly raised patches that are precancerous and should be evaluated by a dermatologist), and deep, leathery texture changes. Many Dallas residents in their 50s and 60s have all of these simultaneously, which is why comprehensive treatment often involves more than one modality.
Treatment Options by Concern
For brown spots and redness together, IPL (intense pulsed light) is the most efficient first approach. It targets both pigment and vascular concerns in a single session, with visible results in 7 to 10 days as treated spots darken and clear. Two to three sessions typically address moderate sun damage. For deeper resurfacing — texture, fine lines, more advanced pigmentation — a fractional laser goes further by removing thin layers of skin and stimulating new collagen formation. These have more downtime (5 to 10 days) but produce more comprehensive results.
Vitamin C serum applied daily to sun-damaged skin provides antioxidant protection that reduces ongoing UV-related damage and gently brightens pigmentation over time. Combined with SPF 50+, it's the most protective daily maintenance routine for Texas skin. Retinoids accelerate cell turnover and fade pigmentation; prescription tretinoin is the most effective topical available for addressing the surface manifestations of sun damage.
Maintenance in the Dallas Climate
Treatment results require maintenance, and in Dallas, maintenance means serious sun protection. The UV index in DFW averages above 6 from April through October and remains significant in winter — Dallas is not a latitude where sun protection becomes optional in December. SPF 50 broad-spectrum sunscreen applied every morning (and reapplied if you're outdoors) is the baseline. Physical blockers (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) are more protective and less irritating for already-sensitized skin.
Wearing SPF in the car matters more in Texas than most people realize. UVA penetrates car windows completely. Left-side facial asymmetry — where the driver's side of the face shows more aging than the passenger side — is a documented pattern in American drivers and a direct result of window-transmitted UVA over years of driving. Window film with UV blocking is a practical addition for anyone who spends significant time in their car.
FAQ
How many IPL sessions do I need to address years of sun damage?
For moderate sun damage — brown spots, diffuse redness, uneven tone — most patients see significant improvement in two to three sessions spaced about four weeks apart. More significant damage may benefit from a fourth session or from combining IPL with a chemical peel or laser for deeper concerns. Your provider will assess your damage and give you a realistic session estimate at consultation.
I've heard you shouldn't do laser in summer. Is that true in Texas where it's warm almost year-round?
The concern is that treated skin is more vulnerable to UV damage during healing, and that tan skin responds differently to some laser wavelengths. In Texas, where meaningful UV is present most of the year, the key is strict sun avoidance for two weeks before and four weeks after treatment — not necessarily avoiding summer entirely. Some providers prefer treating in fall through spring in Texas to give patients a longer natural sun-avoidance window. Discuss timing with your provider and come in with no fresh tan.
Need help now?
Book a sun damage assessment at Summer House Medspa — we'll tell you what we're seeing and map out a realistic treatment plan.