{"id":15156,"date":"2023-05-02T12:30:21","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldenstatedermatology.com\/?p=15156"},"modified":"2023-05-02T12:35:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:35:10","slug":"look-as-good-as-you-feel-how-to-prevent-and-treat-sun-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldenstatedermatology.com\/blog\/look-as-good-as-you-feel-how-to-prevent-and-treat-sun-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Look as Good as You Feel: How to Prevent and Treat Sun Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"
You know that person who never wears sunscreen and says they never burn? Did they somehow get the \u201cgood genes\u201d that deflect the sun\u2019s harmful rays while soaking up the good ones?<\/p>\n
Short answer: no. Anytime you\u2019re in the sun, you\u2019re absorbing ultra-violet rays. And they\u2019re not doing your skin any good, whether your skin shows it right away or not.<\/p>\n
Sun: The Great Age Multiplier<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve all seen those online quizzes that claim to measure you brain age or health age as compared to your chronological age. Somehow, we could be younger than we actually are!<\/p>\n While those quizzes may or may not be true, there\u2019s one test that will show you an age different than your chronological age \u2013 and it\u2019s not a younger age. It\u2019s UV photography, and it will show you the true extent of sun damage that\u2019s invisible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n In a series of photos shown in side-by-side comparison<\/a>s from the American Academy of Dermatology, the only person who doesn\u2019t have sun damage is the 18-month-old. Even the four-year-old has the beginnings of some harm.<\/p>\n The technical term for the aging effects of the sun is photoaging, also called solar damage, dermatoheliosis, or photodamage. Photoaging is premature aging of the skin caused by ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. The radiation can be natural (from the sun) or artificial (radiation from tanning beds or tanning lamps). \u00a0<\/p>\n Either kind of exposure ages your skin more quickly than chronological aging. It also adds to your risk for skin cancer.<\/p>\n How to Stay Young in Your Skin<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n We all know we need to protect our skin. Yet it feels so good to bask in the sun! And we feel healthier with that \u201csun-kissed glow.\u201d \u00a0We need to rewrite that story and rewire our thinking.<\/p>\n Even on a cloudy day, ultraviolet (UV) rays can still reach you. Remember rays reflect off surfaces like sand, snow, and water (cover up extra if you\u2019re on a boat!). The rays are strongest from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Check your weather app to see if it tracks UV rays. If it does be extra cautious when you see a UV index of 3 or higher.<\/p>\n To avoid sun damage \u2013 and look as young as you feel:<\/p>\n Can You Undo the Damage?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Depending on when you grew up, being tan may have been the ultimate goal. Or at least, being pale was not \u201cin\u201d or cool. Even if you avoided trends, as a kid you probably played outside without sunscreen, and didn\u2019t always cover yourself from head to toe when going to the beach.<\/p>\n Although most of us have sun damage, we don\u2019t have to live with visibly damaged skin. If you notice these signs of aging and assume they\u2019re just part of life, they might be the result of sun damage (photo aging), not chronological aging.<\/p>\n Treatments include:<\/em><\/p>\n Complications of photoaging:<\/em><\/p>\n Photoaging isn\u2019t just about appearances. As you can guess, sun exposure also has health risks, including:<\/p>\n \u201cBefore you get treated for sun damage, talk to a dermatologist,\u201d says Monica Lawry, MD<\/a> of Duncan Dermatology, a Golden State Dermatology Affiliate. \u201cWe can identify if the damage is becoming pre-cancerous or if negative conditions have already developed. Plus, we\u2019ll know the right kind of treatment for you, based on a number of factors.\u201d<\/p>\n Dermatologists can identify precancers, skin cancer or other conditions such as rosacea, acne, or eczema that should be treated as a foundation of skin health. They design thoughtful treatment pathways based on your individual skin type to support the best outcomes for your rejuvenation program. They also know best how to help you maintain your improvement to keep your skin healthy and youthful. <\/em><\/p>\n A Highly Visible Sign of Damage: \u201cAge\u201d Spots<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n One kind of damage is a give-away for too much time in the sun: age spots. These flat brown or black spots come from the chemical melanin. When you expose the skin to too much sun, the skin responds by producing this in a clump. They\u2019re not related to aging, despite the name (another story we need to un-tell ourselves!).<\/p>\n You can counteract age spots to a degree with these treatments:<\/p>\n\n
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