Whenever you go outside with no sun protection or use indoor tanning beds, your skin gets damaged by the UV light. Overtime, the damage builds up and visible changes occur in your skin.
Some of the most common signs of sun damage include:
sunburns- may last only a couple of days but the long-term effects are dangerous; increases the risk of skin cancers such as melanoma
age spots- look is similar to freckles except larger; these discolored areas will become darker and more noticeable with age
wrinkles- the deep crease and folds that show up when the collagen and elastin fibers are broken down by sun exposure
actinic keratoses- dry, scaly patches or spots on the top layer of the skin that may harden with time; can become cancerous so your doctor will want to keep watch and most likely remove them
rosacea- the sun is the most common trigger for rosacea flareups; its' rays harm the blood vessels beneath your skin, which then leak fluid when you blush or flush, resulting in blotchy red areas.
loose skin- the sun's ultraviolet light affects your skin's elasticity and causes the skin to sag, stretch, and lose its ability to snapback
While there's nothing that can undo sun damage completely, there are treatments that can reverse the signs of it.
Retinol creams, injectable fillers and botox are short term treatments that temporarily reduce some signs of aging, while laser, intense-pulsed light, and noninvasive radio frequency are long-lasting and repairs the damaged cells.
It's important to take preventative measures to protect your skin in the first place, and that includes staying out of the sun, covering up, wearing a hat, and using sunscreen.
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