Quit the Damage

The sun’s rays make us feel good, and in the short-term make us look pretty good. But our love affair is not a two way street. Sun exposure causes most of the wrinkles and age spots on our face and body. We often associate a glowing complexion with good health, but skin color obtained from being in the sun or in a tanning booth accelerates the effects of aging and increase your risk of skin cancer. Those who have been in the sun or tanning salon too often tend to have a lizard- or leather-like skin appearance.

Too much ultraviolet (UV) light damages the fibers in the skin called elastin. When these fibers break down, the skin begins to sag, stretch and lose its ability to go back into place after stretching. The skin also tears and bruises more easily and takes longer to heal. While sun damage may not be apparent when we are young, it will definitely show itself later in life, whilst increasing our risk for developing skin cancer.

Here are a few markers to look for in sun damaged skin:

• Pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions
  may appear;
• You will see freckles, fine lines, wrinkles and elastosis when you are exposed to the sun for long periods of time;
• Moles are one of the important things to keep an eye on when you are tanning in the sun or in a salon; you should always look for changes in size, pigment and firmness.

Remember that it is not about the color of your skin; it is about the condition of your skin.

Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of all cancers in the United States. Although we are becoming more and more educated about the risks associated with exposure to UV rays, more than often we ignore the signs. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and causes more than 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths.