Two studies about the effects the sun has on aging skin have been in the news recently. The first is quite impressive. Look at this photo.
This man is a trucker who had driven his delivery vehicle for 28 years. The photo shows the skin changes to the side of his face that was exposed to the sun without sunscreen. The window of his vehicle was closed but the glass did not prevent the UV rays from damaging the skin on that side of his face.
His doctors diagnosed him with unilateral dermatoheliosis (photoaging from chronic UV exposure). He was told to use sun protection and topical retinoids as well as have periodic monitoring for skin cancer.
The other study also demonstrates that lack of using daily sunscreen contributes to skin aging. White participants aged 25-55 from an area north of Sydney, Australia were monitored for over four and a half years.
The majority of participants were fair complected and already had sun avoidance behaviors. Most intermittently used sunscreen and two-thirds wore hats regularly when out in the sun.
The 900 participants were divided into two groups. The first group was told to continue their usual sun avoidance activity. The second group was asked to use broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 every day in the morning and after exercise or bathing.
Researchers took silicon casts of the skin on their left hand before and after the study ended to compare them. The casts were taken by having the participant grasp a cardboard tube to stretch the skin prior to casting.
Typically a skin biopsy is used to measure elastin levels in the skin but the casting technique was determined to give similar information. The researchers did not know the identity of the person whose skin they were examining. The skin's appearance was rated on a scale from 0 to 6.
A 6 was given for severely aged skin, meaning no elastin and deep lines. At the start of the study the average level of aging was 4, for both groups indicating they already had moderate aging.
At the end of the study, the group who had regularly used sunscreen still showed an average score of 4. The group who had intermittently taken precautions had an average score of 5.
There are limitations to this study. No dark-skinned people were included. Both groups used sunscreen, but the study group applied it more religiously, at least four times a week. The researchers felt that getting any group to be compliant to this type of a study for four and a half years was an accomplishment.
We are constantly told to wear sunscreen year round to avoid UV ray affects that contribute to skin cancer. Both of these studies show measurable evidence that use of sunscreen can decrease the affects of photoaging of the skin. This can make skin appear wrinkled, thickened and dry so that we look older than we may actually be.
In the comments section of the New York Times article that discussed the Australia study, a reader noted that many people are concerned about toxicity in sunscreens, which causes them to avoid their use. She pointed out that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a list of those sunscreens they approve.
You can click here to see EWG’s list of safer sunscreens.
Sources:
Slathering on Sunscreen Shows Results, Researchers Find. New York Times: Health and Science. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/slathering-on-sunscreen-shows-r...
M.C.B. Hughes, G.M. Williams, P. Baker, and A.C. Green. Sunscreen and Prevention of Skin Aging. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158(11):I-28. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-158-11-201306040-00001.
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1691732
Jennifer R.S. Gordon, M.D., and Joaquin C. Brieva, M.D. Unilateral Dermatoheliosis. N Engl J Med 2012; 366:e25April 19, 2012DOI: 10.1056/NEJMicm1104059
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1104059
Environmental Working Group Guide to Sunscreens 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
http://www.ewg.org/2013sunscreen
Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele are at www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles
Edited by Jody Smith