Sun Effects on Skin Information
Repeated Sun Exposure is responsible for
- Pigmentation changes such as freckles, brown spots, liver spots, uneven skin tone or hyperpigmentation (over active) signal the first signs of sun damage. More than 90% of sun damage skin presents darker color changes before wrinkles or fine lines appear.
- Hypopigmentation, no color or pigmentation, permanent white spots.
- Telangiectasia (tee-lang-jeck-tah-zee-ah), permanent dilation of small blood vessels, spider veins, often on the face, neck and chest, giving the skin a constant red flush.
- Wrinkles, premature or accelerated aging called photoaging.
The “Velcro” like layer holding the epidermis (top layer) and the dermis (second layer) together is flattened allowing the two layers to slide in different directions causing bruising. UVA rays destroy the collagen and elastin in the dermis (second major skin layer) causing the layer to shrink and crack allowing the epidermis (top skin layer) to hang off the body like "baggy clothes" responsible for loose or redundant skin.
- Epidermal thickening occurs as protection against the sun the texture may be rough to the touch. Clients often say they never feel pain or discomfort; they have "tough skin".
- Senile comedones, (KOM-e-do) blackheads caused by repeated sun exposure prominent on construction and road workers.
- Actinic keratoses, actinic is the Greek word for sun, keratoses is the medical name for callous = sun callous = scaly lesions often precancerous.
- Basal and squamous cell carcinoma and the fastest rising cancer, melanoma. Melanoma rates in children less than 15 years increased by 60% between 1992 and 2001, according to the National Cancer Institute. The melanoma rate nearly doubled between 1973 and 1994 for people ages 15 to 29, and increased about 10% since then. It is the most diagnosed cancer in women ages 22 to 29.
- Cataracts, lens in the eyes thicken as a protective response to the sun.
Sunlight in small doses is essential for our bodies to produce vitamin D. Small doses often turn into larger doses with the distraction of out door activities to protect ourselves a sun block is necessary. Click on definitions, sun block, for a clear explanation.
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