This woman's before-and-after sun damage photo has gone seriously viral

If you have the kind of skin that freckles every time you step outside, you'll be familiar with how frustrating it is to deal with sun damage. Aside from the fact that it can increase your risk of skin cancer and cause premature ageing, treating sun damage is also a long, and often expensive, process.

This is perhaps why one woman's before-and-after photo of her sun damage treatment blew up on Reddit. Aside from marvelling at how clear and glowy her skin looked post-treatment, the people of the internet had another question: just how the hell did she manage it.

Credit: Pexels

In the Reddit post, a user who goes by NeverMeant125, disclosed the treatment plan which left her formerly sun damaged skin brighter, even, and noticeably less freckled. She attached a before-and-after snap of the results, and as I'm sure you'll agree, it's striking. 

"In high school and in to college, I tanned regularly," wrote the Reddit user, revealing that along with her frequent tanning - she also never wore sunscreen or moisturiser - hence the freckles.

"The texture of my skin was awful because it was so dry; I honestly wore a lot of makeup back then because I didn’t like how my skin looked," she continued. "Not because of the freckles, but because of all the other things."

She then decided to purchase a skincare routine which would "target the melasma and overall unevenness" of her skin.

Credit: Reddit / NeverMeant125

That was four years ago, and in that space of time, her skin has been completely transformed.

While the Reddit user didn't have one "miracle" product which reversed all the damage, the cleansers, serums and chemical exfoliators that she used worked wonders, as you can see in the "after" photo.

However, she did say that there were two products that she thinks made the most noticeable difference to her skin: "I think [it was] the vitamin c serum and then wearing sunscreen every single day even when I’m not getting any sun."

Specifically, she used SilkNaturals Facelift Vitamin C serum, and the First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Face Cream SPF 30 - both of which she applied in the morning.

Credit: Pexels

Using Vitamin C can be a game-changer for damaged skin. Products containing the vitamin not only protect the complexion from free radical damage - which leads to sun spots, freckles, melasma, and fine lines - but it also helps fade discolouration and brighten the skin.

And as we all know, sunscreen blocks cancer-causing UV rays, and prevents freckles, scars and melasma from darkening.

So while it took the woman in question four years to transform her skin, it was a difference worth waiting for. So if you're not wearing sunscreen daily and incorporating Vitamin C into your routine, we recommend that you do so stat.

We'll be waiting for the before-and-after photos...