If you think you don’t need to wear sunscreen, think again. With so much attention on expensive anti-aging creams and plastic surgery, we tend to lose sight of the simplest preventative measure to avoid the most common skin problems. Wearing sunscreen every day does wonders to preserve a youthful look. It is also essential to your health, and not only to avoid skin cancer. Sunscreen also protects from skin problems that are so common you’d think they’re inevitable.
Chapped Lips
We usually talk about lip balm when the colder months roll around. But excessive exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun can damage your lips too. I know I often forget to apply sunscreen to my lips. I’ve never met anyone who likes the taste of it if some gets into your mouth by accident. Unfortunately, the truth is lips need as much care as the rest of your skin. Your lips can get sunburned, scaly and burned dramatically. Some cases of sun overexposure can lead to a condition known as “farmer’s lip,” “sailor’s lip” or by its medical name actinic cheilitis. Left untreated, actinic cheilitis has connections to cancer.
As with any part of the body, lips ought to be protected. Skin cancer can affect any area.
Sagging Skin
One of the most telling features of aging is sagging skin, especially around the neck, which is exposed like your face to the sun. I know from experience that skin ages no matter how hard you try to keep it firm. Daily application of sunscreen won’t get rid of the natural process of aging, but it certainly helps to slow it down. This is because sunscreen blocks UV rays, which are responsible for destroying the proteins in our skin that our responsible for firmness (collagen) and elasticity (elastin).
In recent weeks, I’ve been noticing more and more collagen supplements on the shelves at health food stores. The jury’s still out on whether these supplements actually increase protein production. There is proof, however, that using creams with retinol (Vitamin A) and natural alternatives is more effective for boosting collagen levels.
Crows Feet
Also known as laugh lines, crow’s feet are wrinkles that frame your eyes. You know the ones. I think they are the most attractive wrinkles you can have, even though they tend to reveal age. As is the case with sagging neck skin, UV rays attack the elastin in your skin. Your skin gets looser instead of bouncing back.
Scarring
You should always apply an extra layer of sunscreen to scars, especially new ones – even if you’re already using a scar treatment product. Scar tissue is especially sensitive and will darken in the sun at a much faster rate than the rest of your skin. This is the case for lesions that have healed. The risk of discoloration also applies to surface wounds like acne or chicken pox. In the medical community, discoloration of this kind is called hyperpigmentation, which refers to the overproduction the pigment melanin.
Sun spots
Sun spots or age spots are common and usually benign. They are dark in pigment and often referred to as “liver spots” or by its medical name solar lentigines. As is the case with sagging skin around the neck, age spots appear on your body in areas that have been overly exposed to the sun.
Actinic Keratosis
Long-term UV radiation also causes reddish, crusty growths of scaly skin called actinic keratosis (AK). These patches appear in areas exposed to either natural sources of UVs or artificial ones, such as tanning beds. Actinic keratosis congregates in the same parts of the body as other sun-inflicted problems, namely the face, neck, shoulders and forearms. There is a definite link between actinic keratosis and skin cancer, so be sure to visit your health care provider should you find one on your skin.
Conclusion
No matter your skin tone, adding sunscreen to your daily routine is a must for preventing aging and conditions that go well beyond simple aesthetic concerns. Remember that you have to reapply sunscreen for it to be effective throughout the day. I tend to avoid being outside for long stretches during the peak hours of sun in the middle of the day. Hats, sunglasses and long sleeves add much-needed protection. In general, choosing shade over sunshine is smart, especially for the lighter-skinned girls out there.