Why be concerned with daily sun protection? Two of the main concerns which bring patients into the Dermatologist's office are Skin Cancer and for Cosmetic reversal of signs of premature Aging. Billions of Dollars are spent on treating skin cancer and on anti-aging cosmetic treatments such as Botox, wrinkle fillers, laser treatments and Face-Lifts..... A majority of these problems are completely preventable! Photoaging and PhotoDamage are the processes by which sun exposure acts on our skin negatively on a daily basis. Most of us were raised with our parents advising to "make sure to put on sun screen when at the beach" or if your going to be "out in the sun." Most of us were raised thinking sunscreens and sunblocks were used only to prevent a sun burn, and surely lifeguards were the only ones that needed to wear that thick white "Zinc stuff. " In fact, a lot of us were raised in the culture where "a nice tan " was thought of as healthy or attractive. What we have found is that some individuals become habituated to their appearance and actually used tan activators and enhancers such as baby oil, olive oil, or commercial tanning lotions. More recently, tanning booths have become more of an issue to maintain tans, but with the risks of accelerated Photodamage and PhotoAging.
PHOTODAMAGE and the SKIN :
What is Photoaging?