Sun Damaged Skin On Face

Keep Your Skin Sun Safe

Even if you already have sun-damaged skin, its not too late to start protecting it.

Make sure youre applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen thats a sun protective factor of 30 or higher. It needs to be reapplied every three hours, especially if youre sweating or in water.

Dont forget about sunblock for your lips. Make sure you buy one designed for the lip area. Sunblock is not just important during the summer but should also be worn in wintertime.

Try to limit your time outdoors when the sun is at its highest. That is between 10 am and 3 pm.

A hat with a wide brim will also offer great protection, as will sunglasses that have UV light protection. The sunglasses will prevent sun damage around the eyes and also keep you from squinting.

Sun Protection Is Also Essential

Although treatment can reduce signs of aging on your skin, youll also need to start protecting your skin from the sun. If you use tanning beds, youll have to stop.

Without protection from harmful UV rays, you may:

• Develop side effects from treatment

• Fail to get the results you seek

• Continue to damage your skin

Sun protection can also help prevent, slow down, and even reverse signs of sun damage. To be effective, you must use sun protection every day even when its overcast or cold outside.

Youll find out how to protect your skin from the sun at, How to prevent skin cancer.

What Are The Dangers Of Sun Exposure

The immediate danger of too much sun is sunburn. If you looked at sunburned skin under a strong microscope, you would see that the cells and blood vessels have been damaged. With repeated sun damage, the skin starts to look dry, wrinkled, discolored, and leathery. Although the skin appears to be thicker, it actually has been weakened and, as a result, it will bruise more easily.

However, the sun’s most serious threat is that it is the major cause of skin cancer, which is now the most common of all cancers. Doctors believe that most skin cancers can be avoided by preventing sun damage.

Also Check: What Does Stage 4 Melanoma Mean

Which Sunscreen Is Best For The Face Without Chemicals

Garshick advises that its best for people, especially those with sensitive skin, to avoid certain types of chemical sunscreens, specifically those containing oxybenzone.

Sunscreens with avobenzone and benzophenone-4, as well as sunscreens with added fragrance, alcohol, or preservatives, can also be irritating for sensitive skin.

Luckily, most of the above items on our list are mineral-based and generally made without chemicals. Some options include:

• Blue Lizard Sensitive Face Mineral Sunscreen, which works well for people with sensitive skin
• EiR Surf Mud, which is made from all-natural ingredients
• Andalou Naturals Vitamin C Beauty Balm, which works well for acne-prone skin

Its best to do a little digging and research before applying a sunscreen to make sure youre aware of all the ingredients.

Treat Your Neck And Chest As Part Of Your Face

One spring day you wake up, pull on your favorite V- or scoop-neck tee and gasp, What happened to my chest? That once-smooth and show-off-worthy décolletage is peppered with spots and wrinkles. Uh-oh. Even those of us who have been diligent about facial sunscreen often skip these hot spots. Theres double trouble for those who sleep on their side or stomach, since this causes an already sun-damaged neck and chest area to appear more creased and crepey. The solution? Whats good for your face is also great for your neck and chest. Start extending face products like serums, hydrating masks, moisturizers and SPF sunscreen right down to your bra line instead of including this area as part of body care. Try smoothing on a hyaluronic-acid-packed mask like Boots Ingredients Hyaluronic Sleep Mask , E.l.f. Holy Hydration! Sleeping Mask or Truly Goodnight Moon Chest/Neck Sleep Mask for an overnight hydration boost that plumps up lines and creases.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Cream Fragrance-Free

Also Check: How To Remove Skin Cancer

The Benefits Of Choosing A Board

Your results depend largely on the skill and knowledge of the person performing your treatment. Not everyone who offers these treatments is a doctor.

When you choose a board-certified dermatologist, you work with a doctor who:

• Has in-depth medical training in treating the skin. After graduating from medical school, a doctor who wants to become a dermatologist must continue on in medical school, studying for 3 to 5 more years. During those 3 to 5 years, a doctor receives in-depth training in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the skin, hair, and nails. This medical training means that a board-certified dermatologist knows how to evaluate the condition of your skin, your skin type, and your health before choosing your treatment. This helps give you the best results and reduces your risk of developing a complication.

• Performs your treatment in a medical office or surgical suite. This helps ensure your safety.

• Checks for skin cancer before treating you. Dermatologists are the skin cancer experts. Someone who doesnt have this in-depth knowledge could mistake a skin cancer for an age spot. Treating a skin cancer as an age spot allows the cancer to spread.

To help you find a doctor who is qualified to perform your treatment, the AAD created this list of questions that you should ask before having any cosmetic treatment at Who should provide your cosmetic treatment?

Related AAD resources

References

All content solely developed by the American Academy of Dermatology

Best Way To Remove Sun Damage From Your Face

There are many products and treatments for sun damaged skin on the face, some of which are stronger than others and more or less effective. Although youll never be able to fully restore tissue vitality nor entirely erase the signs of damage, you can reduce their appearance to reveal a more youthful, radiant glow.

You May Like: Best Face Wash For Pimples And Oily Skin

Get Checked Out By A Dermatologist

If sun damage gives you any new or changing marks, let your dermatologist know. They could be a sign of skin cancer. And protect yourself from future UV harm with sun-safe habits. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and wear protective clothing and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Apply a thick layer of sunscreen to all exposed skin, and reapply every 80 minutes when out and after swimming and sweating.

Does The Sun Have Benefits

You may have been taught that you need sunlight for your body to make vitamin D, because vitamin D is not found naturally in most foods. But today, many foods are fortified with vitamin D during the manufacturing process. Thus, sun exposure is not as important for the body’s vitamin D supply as it used to be. Of course, being outdoors makes most people feel good. And playing tennis is better for your health than watching television. But you can still protect yourself from the sun’s damaging effects while enjoying yourself outdoors.

You May Like: When To Worry About Skin Cancer

Sun Damage Explained: Burning Ageing And Skin Cancers

Aside from burning, sun damage can appear as changes in skin texture, like fine lines and wrinkles in the upper face and around the eyes an uneven skin tone, with redness and broken capillaries, and pigmentation and sagging, due to damage of the skins elastic tissue, explains Dr Bunting.

In particular, a change in skin pigment is one of the more obvious signs of sun damage. When you get a tan, that is your skins overall damage response from the sun , Begoun explains. Over time this same damage response eventually causes permanent abnormal spotted melanin production these are literally known as brown spots, or sun spots due to their cause given that theyre only seen on areas of skin exposed to the sun. These pigmented marks can appear at any age, given that its about how much time youve spent in the sun without sunscreen, explains Begoun. Therefore, the more sun damage you acquire at a younger age, the sooner you’ll see brown spots developing.

Another factor associated with ageing lines and wrinkles can also be put down to sun damage, as Dr Bunting notes. The skins elastin and collagen are responsible for how firm and young it looks, but sun damage as well as the natural ageing process can cause these to deteriorate and break down, resulting in the skin wrinkling and sagging.

Reboot Your Skin With Retinol Or Peptides

Retinol is a vitamin A derivative famous for its ability to reverse sun damage, rev up collagen production and smooth wrinkles. Even guys who dont like the idea of fussing with beauty products can get into this overnight skin rehab by smoothing on a fragrance-free product like Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Cream Fragrance-Free . However, for some of us even buffered retinol creams can have a getting-to-know-you period of irritation. Apply it every other night for the first few weeks, advises Zeichner. Still sensitive? He suggests using a peptide cream instead, like Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer or CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream to rev up collagen production and improve the look of wrinkles.

Curel Moisture Repair Eye Cream Burts Bees Illuminating Eye Balm Pacifica Glow Baby Eye Bright Cream

You May Like: How Quickly Can Skin Cancer Appear

% Of Visible Signs Of Aging Are Due To Sun Damage

The skin utilizes sunlight to help us create Vitamin D, which is crucial for healthy bones, immunity, and serotonin production.

But the risk of overexposure to ultraviolet rays can cause severe damage to the skin. And this doesn’t just stop at your typical sunburn. Dullness, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation are all signs of sun damage, too.

The epidermal layer of skin contains melanin or skin pigment. Melanin protects the skin from the harm of ultraviolet rays. When tanning, melanin production increases, and pigment deepens. As your tan fades, cells are shed from the skin, and melanin lowers once more.

But what happens when overexposure becomes habitual over the years? Skin cancer and cell damage are possible results. Hyperpigmentation and melasma are other conditions typically noted from overexposure to the sun. And sun spots give way to aging skin appearance, which may be difficult to conceal with makeup.

It is extremely important to check your skin regularly for any changes or unusual pigmentation. The earlier sun damage is detected, the less of a risk you pose for skin cancers. Discuss your sun damage and your treatment options with your dermatologist.

Other Risks If You Have An Actinic Keratosis

If you have one or more actinic keratoses it is a marker that you have had a lot of sun exposure. The more serious type of skin cancer, melanoma, most commonly occurs in people who have had a lot of sun exposure. So, although an actinic keratosis does not progress into a melanoma, if you have an actinic keratosis, your risk of developing a melanoma on some other part of your skin is increased. So, tell a doctor soon if you notice any changes on any part of your skin, such as new moles, small dark patches developing, or a change in an existing mole.

Also Check: What Are The Chances Of Surviving Skin Cancer

Using Remedies For Sun Damaged Skin

Treating sun-damaged skin doesnt have to be a losing battleeven if you already show signs of built-up damage. The experts at SiO Beauty want to make the process simple, painless, and effective for you. Thats why weve worked day and night to formulate top-of-the-line, skin repairing and perfecting products using the same silicon that has been used and trusted by doctors, surgeons, and hospitals for more than three decades.

Weve taken every precaution to ensure that SiO is safe. After all, you may have already spent a little too much time in the not-so-safe sun. Were here to help reduce the damage and revitalize youthful, radiant, and supple skin. Our products offer exceptionally safe and effective means to heal and normalize burned, wrinkled, and seemingly worn-out damage.

An ounce of prevention in the form of sunscreen, hats, wraps, and other coverings goes a long way toward preventing the discolorations and wrinkles that come with sun exposure. But sometimes, you need an extra beauty remedy or two.

Dont assume you have to turn to the needle, artificial fillers, or painful laser treatment. To help repair already sun-damaged skin, try the suggested remedies above and be sure to use SiO Beautys skin patches and complete 24-Hour System for accelerated results.

Beautiful skin is achievable, despite the damage. Now go out and get it!

How Does Sun Damage Skin

When UVB and UVA rays come in contact with our skin, the bodys melanin can develop into things like moles, sun spots, and melasma. UV rays also create free radicals, which damage living cells. While your body uses antioxidants to fight off free radicals, long-term damage causes premature aging, deep lines, and wrinkles.

Also Check: Where Does Skin Cancer Start

How To Determine If You Have Sun Damage

The term sun damage is often used interchangeably with photoaging, or aging thats caused by exposure to UVA and UVB light. This is different from chronological agingsuch as sagging cheeks induced by gravity, a lack of skin elasticity, and the loss of voluminous fat from the lipswhich occurs naturally over time.

By contrast, 90% of aging is caused by the sun which, unlike natural aging, can be controlled and minimized. Some signs of photoaging are the same as those caused by natures clock, namely fine lines and wrinkles. Thats because sun damage occurs slowly and gradually, compounding on itself with every exposure.

In some cases, extended sun exposure results in immediate, painful sunburns that cause the skin to turn red, blotchy, hot to the touch, and in extreme cases, may lead to the blistering and peeling of dead cell tissue. Other signs that indicate you have sun damaged skin include:

• Premature wrinkles and fine lines
• Sunspots, liver spots, and freckles
• Broken capillaries, redness, and rosacea
• Uneven skin tone and melasma
• Actinic keratosis

Well go over these in more detail below, including the best treatment for sun damaged skin depending on which type you have.

How To Treat Sun Damaged Skin

Brad Lenahan

Now that summer is coming to an end and our sun-soaked adventures are fading away, you might be shocked to notice some sun damage left behind in its place: fine lines that werent there at the beginning of the season dark sunspots beginning to spackle your forehead a red, blotchy complexion that just wont quit.

If you see any of these signs, dont panic just yet. Make sure you step up your SPF game and start learning the best treatments for sun damaged skin. Use the links below to learn more about how to heal your skin from the sun and restore its vitality back to a radiant glow.

• Treatment Actinic Keratosis

Don’t Miss: What Does Skin Cancer Look Like When It Starts

What Exactly Causes Photodamage

Over time, ultraviolet radiation from the sun damages the DNA of your skin cells and accelerates the breakdown of collagen, elastic fibers and the supporting structures of your skin which leads to dark spots, wrinkles and other signs of photoaging, says Dr. Lily Talakoub, a board-certified dermatologist and fellow of the American Board of Dermatology.

Moreover, “sun exposure forces your skins DNA to repair and regrow. With time that regrowth can turn into overgrowth also known as overproliferation of cells which leads to skin cancers,” explains Dr. Orit Markowitz, board-certified dermatologist and founder of OptiSkin.

The UVA rays, which have a longer wavelength, are responsible for most of the photodamage as they can penetrate more deeply into your skin, even through the windows and cloud cover. While the UVB rays have a shorter wavelength but higher energy. According to the American Cancer Society, they are the main culprit behind sunburns and can cause direct damage to the DNA in your skin cells.

“Because photodamage happens in the deepest layers of the skinthe dermisit can take years before the damage surfaces and becomes visible,” notes a Yale School of Medicine report.

Can Actinic Keratoses Be Prevented

If you spend a lot of time in the sun you have an increased risk of developing actinic keratoses and skin cancer. You will also prematurely age your skin and cause wrinkles.

To reduce the risk of developing skin cancers, actinic keratoses and other conditions associated with sun-damaged skin, we should all:

• Stay out of strong sunlight. In particular, avoid sun between 11 am and 3 pm.
• When out in the sun:
• Seek natural shade in the form of trees or other shelter.
• Wear clothes as a sunscreen, including T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, and hats.
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to protect against UVB and UVA.
• Reapply sunscreen regularly, particularly if you are swimming, or sweating a lot, or after towelling yourself dry.
• Use plenty of sunscreen. At the very least, six full teaspoons are needed to cover the body of an average adult.

It helps to examine your skin regularly. See your GP about any skin rashes, growths, lumps or bumps that do not heal within six weeks.

Don’t Miss: What Stage Is Metastatic Melanoma

How Do Doctors Diagnose Sun

Your doctor or dermatologist may ask about your medical history and perform a physical. In most cases, they may be able to confirm the diagnosis by looking at your skin.

Depending on the symptoms of sun damage, your dermatologist may perform a biopsy to remove a small sample of the affected skin. During a lab analysis, medical professionals will check for precancerous cells, signs of skin cancer, and other possible complications.