SUN DAMAGE

---

From the first moment your skin is exposed to the sun, it begins to accumulate photodamage (aka sun damage). Through your lifetime, the repeated exposure to the sun or artificial UV sources (tanning beds) and their harmful UV rays causes an accumulation of damage, which overtime, will become evident on your skin. These damaging UV rays alter the skin’s normal structures. Over your lifetime, this repetitive exposure increases your risk of developing skin cancer. 

What does it look like?

Photodamage appears on areas with the most chronic sun exposure, such as the face, neck, and hands. Women tend to have a significant amount of photodamage on the upper chest. 90% of aging on sun exposed areas is due to the sun’s damaging rays. It can appear as many different types of changes on the skin such as:

· Thickened, leathery skin

· Wrinkles

· Dark spots (age spots) or freckles

· Broken blood vessels

· Red, rough scaly spots (Actinic Keratosis or precancerous changes)

How can it be prevented?

By taking the proper precautions to prevent sun exposure, such as clothing and sunscreen, you can help prevent, and even reverse, sun damage. Learn how you can protect yourself HERE!

How is photodamage treated?

Field therapy is a type of treatment used to target areas of skin that have widespread sun damage — not just individual spots. It's especially helpful when the skin has developed multiple precancerous lesions (like Actinic Keratoses) or shows signs of diffuse photodamage, even if some areas don’t look visibly affected yet. Learn more about field therapy HERE.