Wazzup Pilipinas!
Though possessing a tanned “sun-kissed” look has become a coveted look for some, it’s also an obvious sign of sun damage. Over time, this can affect not just how you look. It might also have tangible negative effects on your health. But even if you’ve never sunbathed or just kept sun exposure to a minimum, you may still see the same brown marks and darker patches on your skin from normal outdoor activities.
Remember, even small amounts of sunlight can still cause cumulative long-term damage. In particular, most reliable medical resources agree that even a couple of minutes of sun exposure on a daily basis is enough to have some adverse effects on your skin. Unfortunately, it can affect you in more ways than just your skin’s appearance.
Damage Due to Sunburns
If you have fair skin and have spent long hours under the sun, you’re more likely to experience sunburns. Aside from causing you to develop a darkened or reddened complexion, they are as the most obvious results of excessive sun exposure. You can think of sunburns as your body’s way of telling you that it’s had too much UV rays.
However, it’s best to remember that different complexions are also affected by UV radiation in different ways. This is thanks to each individual person having varying levels of melanin, which is the natural pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their color. As a result of the differing amounts of melanin, some people are more resistant to sunburns. Specifically, people with darker skin tan more easily and will take a longer time to experience sunburns. Meanwhile, the opposite is also true. This means that people with fairer skin will find it more difficult to get a tan and are less protected from sunburns. But in the end, all of us may end up similarly affected by overexposure to the sun’s rays. This brings us to our next point.
Increased Risks of Skin Cancer
Aside from giving us sunburns, chronic sun exposure can also greatly increase the chance of developing skin cancer. This is a result of the excess radiation affecting your skin cells’ DNA, making your skin cells more likely to develop cancer cells.
Usually, skin cancer develops on parts of your body that get the most sunlight. Early signs include pre-cancerous “sandpaper spots” These usually show up as rough and scaly patches of skin. Though they may be benign at first, they should still be immediately checked out by a dermatologist. If they are not quickly treated, they are likely to lead to complications such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or even melanoma—which can be deadly.
Signs of Premature Aging
Even if some of your spots don’t end up being malignant in nature, you’ll still want to minimize sun exposure if you want to keep looking young and fresh. This is because increased doses of UV radiation can also lead to photo-aging. Putting it simply, this is a process where extended and repeated exposure to harmful radiations and even sunburns can accelerate the skin’s aging process. As a result, you might prematurely look older than your true age.
If you don’t take care of your skin, you could experience some undeniable signs of photo-aging. These usually include freckles, dry skin, deep wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. Among these signs, uneven skin tone can be most troublesome, since it can be traced to problems in melanin production due to chronic skin damage. Sometimes, they can become worse and become age spots or “liver spots.” And in worst cases, this can also increase you chances of developing skin cancer.
Always Keep Your Skin Protected
If you can’t limit the amount of time you spend outdoors during daytime, then it will be best to wear sunscreen whenever you can. This is sure to have a slowing effect on how your skin gets affected by sun-related damage. You should pick out sunscreen with SPF values of 15 or higher that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Covering up with certain types of clothing and using an umbrella during sunny days can also have a protective effect.
The most important thing to remember is to always keep yourself protected from direct sunlight. Though existing skin damage can’t be fully reversed, reducing the amount of harmful UV rays that reach your skin can prevent further damage from occurring. If done right, it might even reverse some of the damage done to a certain extent and keep your skin healthy and looking young for longer.
Sources
http://www.deardoctor.com/articles/how-sun-damage-ages-your-skin/
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/reverse-sun-damage-1
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
