Exposure or over exposure to UV (ultraviolet) light from the sun can cause a number of skin issues. The UV rays can damage the skin causes premature skin aging, raise the chances of skin cancer, as well as other conditions.
Common Symptoms of Sun Damaged Skin
- Changes in skin texture: The skin can become course and wrinkles can develop due to the thinning of the skin. The sun damages the skin, and causes it to lose moisture, thus thinning the skin, especially along the neck, back, forearms, and hands.
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Bruising and mild trauma.
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Wrinkles, fine lines, facial folds, scars, age spots, crow’s feet, frown lines and other cosmetic skin blemishes.
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Changes in pigmentation. Hyperpigmentation, and discoloration are common issues as a result of sun damage. These include sun spots, where the skin becomes darkened and less protective, and more susceptible to further damage.
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White spots along the extremities.
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Reddish spots along the neck, back, arms and legs.
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Moles, or growths which can develop into skin cancer.
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Lesions, similar to actinic keratosis, or certain forms of cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma. These can occur on any part of the body exposed to sunlight, even the lips.
Prevention
In order to prevent sun damage or further damage to already sun damaged skin, make sure to:
- Wear loos comfortable clothes during the summer.
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Use full spectrum sunscreen. SPF 30 or above.
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Wear a hat or avoid sunny areas for too long.
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Limit your sun exposure, but make sure to get at least 10-15 minutes a day for Vitamin D production.
Treatment
Depending on the severity of the sun damage we recommend a few treatment methods. We use a number of facial injectables and facial fillers. But other treatment options include topical creams and ointments.
For cosmetic treatment of sun damaged skin, we prefer to use facials and chemical peels and the use of laser skin resurfacing treatments. Using laser treatments may require a few days of downtime, however they are able to alleviate a large area of sun damaged skin quickly.
