You may have heard the words “ sun damage,” “skin damage” or “sun skin damage” before, and you certainly have if you’re a regular reader of this blog. But exactly what is sun damage? It’s actually a general term used to cover any number of afflictions we’re all subject to with short and long-term exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Upon encountering those words, many people will automatically assume they’re a reference to either Melanoma or some other form of skin cancer. And while those are certainly the worst results to be had from sun damage, they’re by no means the only ones.
When you sit outside to tan, or spend time in a tanning booth, you’re inviting numerous maladies to invade your skin; your body’s largest organ and protector of all its others. Imagine for a moment what the skin of that pale, thawed turkey you put into the oven looks like every Thanksgiving after it comes out. This example is only exaggerated by the fact that humans don’t sit in the sun for four hours or so at 400 degrees. However, many people do sit in it for that length of time or longer at 75, 80, 90 degrees or higher.
With that in mind, further imagine what regular sun contact like that does and is doing to your skin. Now throw in all of the time you spend outside not even intentionally tanning, but just doing errands, yardwork, participating in athletics, having cookouts and et cetera. All of that adds up, and it adds up fast.
Unprotected sun exposure will cause the premature aging of your skin. It’ll also be responsible for wrinkles, liver spots, skin texture changes, ease of tearing, bruising, pre-cancerous lesions, moles, transformation of moles and many other conditions. Even the sun-acquired skin disorders that don’t lead to cancer will become unsightly, obvious, and mostly irreversible. Protecting your skin at a young age is your best weapon against aging skin.
This is why we’ll always recommend that you skip tanning entirely. And keep yourself protected while outdoors with regular use and re-application of sunscreen, along with the wearing of sun-safe clothing. Remember, it’s never too late to make these changes.
Your skin is like your own personal company receptionist; it’s the first thing that everyone sees when they meet you. So keep it healthy. As the old saying goes, take care of it and it’ll take care of you.
*Source for some additional information: Skinsight.com
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