Photoaging: The Summer Damage You Can't See in the Mirror, According to SKINVITY's CEO
by LauraShare
We come back from holiday with tanned, seemingly rested skin. But summer leaves another mark that doesn't show in the mirror: during the months of highest sun exposure, ultraviolet radiation gradually changes the deep structures of the skin, and those changes can stay invisible for years.
Blanca Miñano, founder and CEO of SKINVITY, has spoken about this process, known as photoaging, in an interview published in El Economista. Her approach to the September routine isn't just about correcting what's already visible: it's about helping the skin recover its own repair mechanisms.
Read the full interview in El Economista →
What photoaging actually is
Photoaging is a different process from chronological aging: it's caused specifically by accumulated exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and its effects go beyond dark spots. They also affect collagen, elastin, firmness and skin texture.
Not all solar radiation acts on the skin in the same way.
| Radiation | Where it acts | What it causes |
|---|---|---|
| UVB | Mainly in the epidermis | The main cause of sunburn |
| UVA | Penetrates into the dermis | Reaches collagen and elastin, generates oxidative stress and activates enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases, or MMPs) that, in excess, can fragment healthy collagen (Pittayapruek et al., 2016) |
At the same time, damaged elastic fibres can build up in a disorganised way, a phenomenon known as solar elastosis. The result builds up gradually: loss of firmness, deeper wrinkles, texture changes and uneven pigmentation.
The most common mistake: thinking no sunburn means no damage
"One of the biggest mistakes is thinking that if we haven't got sunburnt, summer hasn't left a trace. Photoaging is cumulative and often silent. That's why skin care shouldn't start when a wrinkle or a spot appears, but much earlier." — Blanca Miñano
Moderate but repeated exposure, the kind that doesn't cause sunburn, also builds up changes over time. That's why September is a good time to stop thinking only about correcting what's visible and start talking about repairing the skin from within, too.
What photobiomodulation is
This is where a technology that's becoming more and more common in at-home skincare routines comes in: photobiomodulation. It works on a simple principle: using specific wavelengths of light, mainly within the red and infrared spectrum, to trigger biological responses in cells without generating significant heat or damaging the skin's surface.
These wavelengths are absorbed by the mitochondria and boost the production of ATP, the cell's main energy source (Avci et al., 2013). This stimulus is linked to fibroblast activity, the cells responsible for synthesising collagen and other components of the extracellular matrix, and to the modulation of inflammation (Hamblin, 2017).
"Technology can't make our skin forget all the sun it has received, but we can use it to support the cellular processes involved in its maintenance and repair. That's the philosophy behind photobiomodulation: not attacking to correct, but stimulating so the skin itself works better." — Blanca Miñano
Photobiomodulation isn't about "erasing" sun damage or replacing sunscreen. It supports the skin's natural mechanisms of repair and maintenance.
5 tips for recovering your skin after summer
Coming back from holiday is also the moment to get back to a consistent, realistic routine.
Don't pack away sunscreen with your swimsuit. Sun protection should continue all year round, especially on the areas that absorb the most radiation and are most often forgotten: face, neck, décolletage and the backs of the hands.
Watch your skin, without obsessing over correcting it. September is a good time to pay attention to new spots or changes that appeared over the summer. If anything raises doubts, the recommendation is always to see a dermatologist.
Restore hydration and the skin barrier. After weeks of sun, heat, chlorine, salt water and air conditioning, it's worth simplifying your routine and prioritising hydration and barrier care before adding too many active ingredients at once.
Introduce photobiomodulation with consistency. Red and infrared LED light works as a progressive stimulus. It's not about doing an intensive session after the holidays, but about incorporating it regularly into your routine.
Think beyond the face. The neck, décolletage, hands, arms and legs have also been exposed all summer long. Care against photoaging shouldn't stop at the jawline.
How to bring photobiomodulation into your routine: face and body
Introducing LED light with consistency means short, frequent sessions rather than occasional, long ones. SKINVITY applies this same principle across its two LED phototherapy devices.
Silicone LED Mask, for the face, neck and décolletage
It combines five wavelengths (630, 830, 930 and 1072 nm, plus 470 nm blue light) in a flexible silicone device with over 650 diodes that stay in direct contact with the skin. Just 10-minute daily sessions are enough. In an efficacy test carried out on more than 20 women over 40, after 8 weeks of continued use these results were observed:
- +30% more firmness in the face
- +19% more skin elasticity
- +12% increase in dermal thickness
- -18.6% in dark spot pigmentation
Explore the Silicone LED Mask →
Infrared LED Mat, the same principle applied to the neck, décolletage, hands and the rest of the body
It brings the same principle to a much larger area of the body, with over 3,700 diodes combining red, near-infrared and deep infrared light in daily sessions of up to 40 minutes. Firmness and skin density need consistency, and are assessed from day 28 of use onwards.
Explore the Infrared LED Mat →
Both devices complement your usual skincare routine, daily sun protection, and cosmetic or medical aesthetic treatments: they don't replace them, they work on a different cellular mechanism.
When to see your dermatologist
If anything about your skin raises doubts, especially a new spot or one that changes shape, colour or size after summer, the recommendation is always to see a dermatologist.
This content is for informational purposes only and doesn't replace a medical assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What is photoaging? It's skin ageing caused specifically by accumulated exposure to ultraviolet radiation, distinct from chronological ageing. It affects collagen, elastin, firmness and texture, as well as pigmentation.
If I didn't get sunburnt this summer, is my skin safe? Not necessarily. Moderate but repeated exposure also builds up changes over time. Photoaging is cumulative and often silent.
Why doesn't an intensive LED light session make up for summer? Because photobiomodulation depends on repeated stimuli, not on the length of a single one. Fibroblasts need consistent signals over time to sustain collagen production.
What's the difference between UVA and UVB radiation? UVB acts mainly on the epidermis and is the main cause of sunburn. UVA penetrates into the dermis, where it reaches collagen and elastin and can fragment them if produced in excess.
Does photobiomodulation replace sun protection? No. It supports the skin's natural repair mechanisms, but it doesn't replace daily sun protection, which should be maintained all year round.
In summary
Summer damage doesn't always show in the mirror. Much of photoaging happens in the deep structures of the skin, cumulatively and silently, whether or not there's been sunburn. Facing that, the approach for September isn't to correct everything at once, but to bring back simple habits, sustained over time: consistent sun protection, skin barrier hydration and regular photobiomodulation, beyond the face.
The SKINVITY Team
Scientific references
The following references correspond to the general scientific evidence on photoaging and photobiomodulation cited in this article, not to an efficacy test specific to a SKINVITY device unless expressly stated.
- Pittayapruek P, Meephansan J, Prapapan O, Komine M, Ohtsuki M. Role of matrix metalloproteinases in photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. Int J Mol Sci. 2016;17(6):868.
- Avci P, Gupta A, Sadasivam M, et al. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013;32(1):41-52.
- Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophys. 2017;4(3):337-361.
Interview source: Rodrigálvarez B. "Blanca Miñano, fundadora y CEO de SKINVITY: 'La luz LED roja e infrarroja funciona como un estímulo progresivo. No se trata de realizar una sesión intensiva después de las vacaciones, sino de incorporarla de manera regular a la rutina'". El Economista, 14/09/2026.