May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and this month of outdoor fun is a chance to educate friends and family on how we can protect ourselves against one of the most preventable types of cancer.
Sun damage also causes wear and tear on the skin, battering it with UV rays, leading to premature ageing.
It’s time to spread the word! Read on to learn more about sun damage and what it means for your skin.
How Does The Sun Cause Damage?
The sun penetrates the skin with UVA and UVB rays.
UVA rays delve deep into the dermis, affecting epidermal cells, our tiny blood vessels and damaging the elastin and collagen fibres that give us our taut, hydrated and youthful appearance.
We lose these fibres naturally as we get older, but the harm done by sun exposure speeds up sagging, wrinkling and discoloration, even if you’re still quite young. Let’s not forget UVB rays.
They irradiate the top layer of our skin, which results in sunburn, but they also damage our DNA and cause precancerous cells to form.
You can read up on skin cancer symptoms here and here. If you have any concerns, talk to your GP, even if you think it’s probably nothing!
Hold Onto Your Hats To Avoid Sun Damage
Luckily, there are many easy ways to protect yourself against sun damage, beginning with staying in the shade during the hottest periods of the day, from about 11am to 3pm.
The sun is most intense during that time and it poses the most risk.
You can avoid this period of the day by leaving your picnic or your swim until late afternoon or early evening. Spring and summer afternoons are a wonderful time to be out, when everything is painted in a rosy golden glow!
You can also wear clothing that covers your arms and legs and ensure that you use sun cream on any exposed skin. We recommend one with a SPF of over 30, ideally more.
The SPF indicates how long the substance will offer you protection, so the higher the better.
Remember, you can still suffer sun damage when you are splashing about in the pool or in the sea, so a bottle of suncream, aftersun lotion and a wide-brimmed sun hat are all essential items.
Treating Sun Damage
At Pure Perfection Clinic we have a variety of technologies that can treat signs of sun damage, especially in cases where it has caused premature ageing.
It may seem counterintuitive, but we use light exposure to treat sun damage!
Our Dermalux LED treatments use red and blue LED light energy to increase production of elastin and collagen, restoring stretchiness, reducing redness and firming the complexion.
Similarly, Lumecca by InMode reduces wear and tear by using Intense Pulsed Light. The IPL tightens the skin, breaks down pigmentation, removes redness and eliminates spider veins.
Next up, we have Morpheus8, which has also been created by In Mode.
It combines radiofrequency technology to tighten the skin and microneedling to stimulate a healing response and encourage new collagen and elastin to develop.
We use it to treat everything from loose skin and a dull complexion to sun spots and other forms of pigmentation.
If you’ve been weather beaten by the sun and long to restore your smooth and luminous visage, then our treatments are perfect for you.
Get In Touch
Explore our treatments on our website or, if you are confident that you want to try one of these procedures, book an appointment with our expert practitioners.
You can always get in touch with us by calling 01244 571908 or emailing [email protected].
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