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Sun Exposure and Sun Damage- How to protect your skin

Abbey McLaughlin

We’re enjoying a prolonged spell of glorious weather, and whilst most of us enjoy basking in the sun’s warmth and light, doing so can cause severe damage to the skin.

It can’t be over-emphasised how important it is to protect your skin from burning: too much UV radiation from the sun is the main cause of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is not the only danger though: prolonged sun exposure accelerates the skin’s ageing process causing wrinkles, sagging skin, dryness, age spots, patchy discolouration, and a leathery appearance.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 90% of ageing and wrinkles are caused by sun damage.

Protecting the skin
 
Cancer Research UK recommends using a combination of clothing, shade, and sunscreen to protect from sunburn. Most skin cancers develop in areas that are exposed to the sun, and not in areas typically covered by clothing.
 
The use of sun-protection can literally be a life-saver. A poll by Macmillan Cancer Support consisting of 1,500 women aged 18 plus, found that even on a sunny day, 23% of women don’t wear sun protection, and of those who do, a staggering 83% fail to apply it correctly, and 31% wear factor 10 or under.
 
Cancer Research UK recommend that an adult should wear at least an SPF of 15 with at least 4* of UVA protection, applying it liberally and reapplying regularly.
 
It’s amazing that there are so many people who don’t heed the advice of slathering on sunscreen and getting themselves a hat, even when their health is at risk. It’s important to wear sunscreen every day, all year round, even when it’s cold and cloudy.

Studies have shown that people who wear SPF of 15 or higher show 24% less skin ageing than those who don’t use it daily.
Preserving your skin will protect your health and save you a fortune in future aesthetic treatments.
 
Sunbeds

Liverpool is notorious for its love of sunbeds, but using sunbeds increases the risk of developing melanoma by 16 – 20 percent (Cancer Research UK). Sunbeds also cause premature ageing of the skin in the same way that the sun does.
 
Treatments for sun damaged skin

Whilst prevention is always better than cure, if your skin has already suffered the ill-effects of the sun, there is plenty that can be done to improve the appearance of the skin, and it is never too late to start an anti-ageing skincare regime.
 
Aesthetic treatments available to improve the appearance of the skin include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermal fillers, wrinkle relaxing injections, and lasers – but nothing can fully reverse the effects of long-term sun damage.

The Aesthetics Hub offers FREE consultations for skin care treatments in Liverpool and the North West and offers a range of cost-effective skin care products including sunscreen which can be incorporated into your daily routine.

This service gives us invaluable insight into the condition of the skin and any damage, sun related or otherwise, that may have occurred. This assessment ensures we can give bespoke advice and recommend treatments and/or products based on the client’s specific needs.

Please get in touch to make an appointment or to find out more.


References
1: Dr Jorge Zafra ‘The Impact of Sun on Skin’, Aesthetics Journal, 18 June 2018
2: Sunscreen Fact Sheet, (UK: British Association of Dermatologists, 2018)
3: Anderson, A ‘Ingredients in Suncare’ Aesthetics Journal, 11 June, 2018
4: Cancer Research UK www.cancerresearchuk.org 
5: www.skincancer.org


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