Sun Damage Protection
![]() |
Sun Damage & Protection |
Most people love to soak up the sun’s rays on a sunny day or enjoy a lazy day on the beach. What most people do not realize, though, as that sun damage is the main cause of most wrinkles and age spots on the face and body. The sun plays a major role in the overall health of your skin, from simply causing a few fine lines or wrinkles to having the potential to severely damage your skin and eventually lead to certain types of skin cancers.
The Importance of Protection
Protecting your skin from sun damage is crucial to maintaining healthy skin. In fact, at age 40, a woman who has practiced good skin care in terms of protecting herself from the sun will have the skin of a 30 year old. Protecting your skin from the harmful effects of the sun can take literally years off your appearance as you age. Sun exposure and tanning ---even in tanning booths—greatly accelerates the effects of aging and also increases your risk for developing skin cancer. One surprising fact is that most skin changes we treat as part of the normal aging process are caused by sun exposure and damage.
The sun’s ultraviolet light is responsible for damaging the elastin of the skin, which then causes the skin to sag and stretch. The skin eventually loses its ability to return to its original shape after stretching, leading to more sagging and wrinkles. Sun damage can also cause bruising and also cause the skin to tear more easily. The skin may take longer to heal and pre-cancerous to cancerous skin lesions can form. Sun damage also may result in benign tumors, fine or coarse wrinkles, and skin discoloration, including sallowness. Freckles, though commonly thought of as a cute result of tanning, are the result of sun damage.
People with a history of cancer in the family or themselves should be especially wary of sun damage, as should people with moles or lesions. Moles should be carefully monitored and any signs of change should be reported to a doctor.
Comments
Post a Comment