Can Skin Damage Caused by the Sun Be Reversed?

Introduction

You may be wondering whether your sun exposure in the past will have led to permanent skin damage. Your concern may be regarding increased ageing or an increased chance of skin cancer, and now you want to know: is this permanent? The short answer is yes. But through extensive research and using various technologies we can help you to minimise the sun damage and even repair the damage to your skin.

Understanding Sun Damage

UV rays and skin damage go hand-in-hand. Once the UV rays penetrate the skin, they cause DNA damage. The skin’s sun memory means that every time the DNA is damaged, the risk of skin cancer increases. As you can see this is a cumulative effect where every bit of exposure to the sun increases your chance of getting skin cancer.

In parallel, and driven by the DNA damage, the ageing effect of sun exposure is significant. Studies have shown that 80% of wrinkles are caused by sun exposure.

Is It Too Late to Prevent Skin Cancer and Premature Aging?

We can’t change the past, just like we can’t change the skin’s DNA damage caused by sun exposure. The damage is done, that is why the statistics like 5 sunburns in a lifetime doubles your chances of melanoma exist. But let me tell you why it’s not too late for sun protection. If you were to carry on receiving excessive UV exposure, then you will face a higher risk of skin cancer in the future and you will age at an accelerated rate. The best thing you can do from now is to minimise any further sun damage in order to prevent skin cancer later in life. Not to mention, you can reduce your ageing considerably by implementing sun safety. Just act now.

Sun Protection Tips Moving Forward

We say act now and implement sun safety, but what exactly do you need to do? The best, but ultimately the least convenient, solution is to stay out of the sun, particularly during the peak times around midday. Simply being in the sun will increase your cumulative UV exposure. So, we suggest seeking shade and carrying an umbrella for when there isn’t any shade. Avoid peak hours of UV intensity and look up the UV intensity online to see when this may be. If you want to see just how quickly you can burn in any location – use our sun burn calculator.

We get it, staying inside, hiding from the sun is simply unrealistic and in today’s world of technology there are other solutions that work! Use the latest sun protective clothing technology to cover up your skin. Completely cover up with UPF50+ clothing to shield yourself from over 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Build a habit of wearing sun cream every day. Of course, there is no point in wearing sun cream under your sun protective clothing, but ensure to cover up any exposed skin with sun cream rated at least SPF30+ daily, even if it is cloudy! Remember to get a broad-spectrum sun cream that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

Finally, sun beds should be entirely avoided as they deliver a concentrated load of UV radiation. If you use them, please consider making the changes in this article, and we strongly suggest you to substitute them for a self-tanner.

Repairing and Reversing Sun Damage: Effective Treatments

Our skin tries its best to repair UV-induced DNA damage, but it is not completely effective and becomes increasingly less effective with age. This is why prevention is key.

There are ways to reverse the cosmetic effects of sun-damaged skin by using:

• Retinoids and vitamin A: these products stimulate skin renewal and help to rebuild damaged collagen. *Note these products increase photosensitivity so they should be paired with extra sun protection.
• Laser therapy for sun-spots: lasers can be used to target sun damaged cells, helping to reduce pigmentation and stimulate collagen production. *Note this should be paired with extra sun protection around treatments.
• Topical antioxidants: serums and creams, like vitamin C, help to neutralise the free radicals and support the skin’s repair process.

Final Takeaway: Protect, Repair, and Renew

It just highlights how dangerous the sun is when the damage it does will last a lifetime. That being said, take action now and protect yourself and your family. Invest in yourself and implement the sun safety techniques outlined in this article, and you will thank yourself (and hopefully us) in the future. It is never too late to start.