Age-related skin problems like wrinkles, fine lines, and pigmentation are unavoidable. While we prefer to blame becoming another year older, the biggest offender is photoaging, or skin damage brought on by exposure to UV and sunshine. Photoaging, which is directly caused by the lifetime accumulation of sun damage, accounts for 90% of the apparent changes in the skin. Light exposure causes premature aging of the skin, according to Melanie Palm, MD, Medical Director of Art of Skin MD in Solana Beach, California. In addition to ultraviolet (UV) and infrared light, this can also comprise other light spectrum components. Your skin can be damaged by the sun’s rays, which could result in a painful sunburn in the near term. Even if you don’t notice a burn, there may still be hidden long-term effects under the skin. Photoaging, which occurs when the sun prematurely ages the skin, can result in skin cancer. Dermatologists use a variety of terms to describe the harm the sun does to the skin, including photoaging, photodamage, solar damage, and sun damage. When skin without sunscreen protection is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, DNA alterations occur at the cellular level. It may take years before photodamage manifests itself as visible damage because it occurs in the dermis, the lowest layer of the skin. Since light is always present, healthy skin should be concerned year-round about sun damage. Although chronological skin aging cannot be stopped (it is difficult to stop time), photoaging quickens the process. The good news is that it can be entirely avoided.
The Light Barrier Broken Down
The epidermis, or top layer, the dermis, or middle layer, and the subcutis, or bottom layer, make up the three layers of skin. Collagen, elastin, and other fibers that support the structure of the skin are found in the dermis. These components give skin its smooth, young appearance, yet they are also the ones that are harmed by UV radiation. Two distinct wave types, UVA and UVB, make up the UV radiation that harms the skin. The DNA of the skin is harmed by UV radiation, which causes cells in the dermis to rush to make melanin in the epidermis to stop further damage. Your skin is striving to stop the radiation from reaching your skin through this process, which is what causes you to tan. Sunburn is mostly caused by UVB rays, which are shorter than UVA rays. The majority of the harm we identify with photoaging is caused by UVA radiation because of its longer wavelength. UVA rays harm the collagen fibers in the dermis by penetrating deeply. Increased generation of aberrant elastin results from this injury. Metalloproteases are produced as a result of the very high levels of elastin. These enzymes, which repair damaged collagen, frequently act erratically and destroy the collagen, leading to improperly repaired skin. Daily UVA exposure causes this process to recur, resulting in wrongly repaired skin that wrinkles and depleted collagen that gives skin a leathery appearance.
Beyond The Sun
While sunlight is the main contributor to skin aging, HEV and infrared light account for roughly 10% of skin aging. The sun and electronic gadgets like your phone or computer create HEV, or high-energy (blue) visible light, which is visible to the human eye. When the sun sets, this light continues to shine. As with a microwave, infrared light is not visible to the human eye and is instead perceived as heat. Fortunately, neither of these has been connected to skin cancer, although it has been demonstrated that they reduce skin flexibility and collagen. Recent studies have concentrated on the potential extra impacts that these other light types may have on the skin. Research published in the journal Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine in 2014 found that non-UV solar radiation has a substantial impact on photoaging and should be considered when developing a skin-protective routine.
Signs and Symptoms of Photoaged Skin
Photoaging occurs when UV radiation from the sun and/or tanning beds permanently damages the structure of the skin, as opposed to regular, chronological ageing, which is governed by age and genetics. Compare the skin on your face with skin on a part of your body that is not exposed to the sun to observe the difference between photoaging and chronological aging.
Photodamage starts to show symptoms in your teens or early twenties. Wrinkling, pigmentation changes including liver spots (solar lentigines), age spots, and freckles, loss of skin tone (decreased elasticity), rough, uneven skin texture, broken capillaries (spider veins), typically around the nose and chest, and redness and blotchiness are among some of the symptoms.
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