sun damaged skin

The appearance of sun damage is wrinkles are a fold, ridge or crease in the skin.

Sun damage is typically caused by over exposure to the sun, causing sunburn and premature ageing to the surface of the skin. 

This happens as the heat dries out of skin and reduces the skin's supply of natural oils. In addition, the sun's UVs (ultraviolet radiation) can cause sunburn as well as long-term changes in the skin's structure which can lead to more serious skin conditions as well as skin cancer.

Sun damage can effect people in different ways depending on skin types but the most common effects can be one or a combination of;

1. Sunburn - Sun burn is probably the most common effect of sun damage which almost 95% of us have all suffered from in our lives. 

This is where the skin becomes red, warm, sore and tender and after a few days may start to flake and peel. Sun burn will usually fully heal within 7 days. Although sunburn is usally mild and common its important to protect your self and avoid as its increases your risk for further skin problems such as ageing and more serious skin cancer.

2. Sunspots - These are flat areas of skin discoloration that can be tan or varying shades of brown. They appear on the parts of your body that get the most sun exposure, such as your face, shoulders, back, and the backs of your hands.

3. Wrinkles - According to The World Health Organization’s report called "Sun Protection: A Primary Teaching Resource” 

“Chronic overexposure to the sun can change the texture and weaken the elasticity of the skin. Sun induced skin damage causes premature wrinkling, sags and bags, and easy bruising. Up to 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to ageing may be caused by sun exposure.”

4. Dry Skin - Dry skin caused by sun damage or sun-exposed skin can gradually lose moisture and essential oils, making it appear dry, flaky and prematurely wrinkled, even in younger people.

5. Actinic Keratosis -  According to the NHS, 

"Actinic keratoses, also known as solar keratoses, are rough patches of skin caused by damage from years of sun exposure. They aren't usually a serious problem and can go away on their own, but it's important to get them checked as there's a chance they might turn into skin cancer at some point."

Everyone loves a glowing tan, but the truth is that tanned skin is damaged skin. Years of getting too much sun can lead to early ageing, wrinkles and age spots, and makes you more likely to get skin cancer.

The best way to avoid sun damage and protect your skin is to avoid long exposure to unprotected skin and ensure you protect your skin with appropriate clothing, hat and sunscreen when ever you are outdoors even when cloudy and take extra care during the sun’s strongest hours which in the UK during British Summer Time the sun's UV rays are strongest between 11am and 3pm. 

Are you safe in cloudy weather? – The answer is no. Many people think that when its cloudy then they are safe and sadly this is not true. Up to 40% of the Sun’s UVs reach the earth on a completely cloudy day and unprotected puts you at greater risk of developing long term skin problems.

Apart from covering your skin completely with clothing the best and most effective way of protecting your skin from Sun damage is to use Sun Cream. 

Understanding which sun cream to use and how often you need to reapply you firstly need to understand your own skin. Over 90% of sun burns when using sun cream is due to not understanding how sun cream works.

In short, sun cream is measured by a factor known as SPF which stands for sun protection factor. The SPF measures the amount of protection you’ll receive from the sun’s UVB rays based upon your skin’s own protection. Sun creams are available to buy ranging in factors from 2 right up to 50+ (the higher the stronger protection). 

The factor number is the approx. time you will be protected for before you start to burn based on your skin’s natural protection. So someone who burns very quickly vs someone who skin rarely burns at all the same factor sun cream can offer very different protection. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation: "If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours." In this same example SPF 4 was used then you would need to ensure you reapply every 60-80 minutes to stay protected. 

It’s important to ensure you understand your own skin when choosing a SPF and understanding how long you will be protected for as the same bottle can affect people in very different ways. For example, if you and a friend are on holiday and your friend was using SPF 10 and had skin that would start burning after approx. 30 minutes the sun cream would offer approx. 5 hours of protection. If your skin usually starts turning red after 15 minutes, then the same factor would mean you were only protected for approx. 2.5 hours and would need to reapply much sooner than your friend. Using a higher factor of SPF 20 would offer your skin a similar level of protection as your friend. 

are sharing SPF 8 but your skin would take approx. 15 minutes to start burning whereas your friends’ skin was approx. 30 minutes, you would need to reapply every 2 hours to have the same protection as your friend who would.

Wyndham Place Clinic offers some of the best treatments to revive and repair sun damaged skin. Depending on the severity of your skin damage, Lorraine will work with you to create a custom-tailored skin care treatment plan based on your individual skin type and condition which can use one or a combination of the below treatments.