6 Skin Conditions Caused By Sun Damage And How To Treat Them

The sun serves an essential purpose for all life on our planet, such as helping plants grow and providing our skin with precious Vitamin D. 

Unfortunately, the UV rays of the sun can be quite harmful to our skin as well. Premature wrinkles and aging are just some of the skin symptoms associated with sun damage. 

The skin has individual fibres called elastin which allows it to stretch and fall back into place. The UV rays of the sun will destroy these fibres if your skin is exposed for too long. 

Once that happens, the skin will be much slower in healing bruises and other damage that is done to it. Furthermore, you may develop various skin conditions if the sun damage is too severe. 

People who spend several hours outside each day have the highest risk of obtaining these skin conditions. Everyone from construction workers to lifeguards must take note of this.

Below are six common skin conditions caused by sun damage.

Actinic Keratoses

Actinic keratoses are a prevalent skin condition that results from sun damage. People develop this condition after their skin has been overexposed to the sun for several years. 

The sun damage becomes so bad that it causes scaly patches of the rough skin to form on damaged areas of the face and head. These are the actinic keratoses.

Older people usually develop this condition. It is harmless for the most part unless it turns into skin cancer. There is a 10% possibility of this happening.

Rosacea

Rosacea occurs when sunlight damages the tiny blood vessels beneath the skin and causes them to leak fluid. The symptoms include extreme redness, bumps, and blemishes. 

Fair-skinned people who do not use sunscreen are the most susceptible to getting rosacea.

Sunburn

We have all had sunburns before. They are an immediate but temporary skin condition where your skin becomes red and painful after getting burned by the sun. 

It will take a few days for your sunburned skin to heal. During that time, your skin may start to itch and peel. 

It may feel warm when you touch it too. The best thing to do is to avoid itching or picking at the skin. Just let your skin recover naturally.

Wrinkles

Wrinkles are not just caused by old age. Sun exposure causes your face to develop crow’s feet next to the eyes and laugh lines around your mouth. 

This is due to the destruction of your elastin fibres and collagen proteins in the skin.

Age Spots

Age spots are discoloured areas of the skin that are about the size of a 5 cent piece. These discoloured areas will appear brown, but they may become darker brown or black as you get older. 

If you ever notice these areas developing multiple colours or a thicker texture or surface, then you should see a doctor.

Atypical Moles

You may notice some moles form on your skin after too much sun exposure. Most moles are harmless and non-cancerous, but you need to be careful. 

If you see a mole grow or start to change colour or shape, then you need to have a doctor look at it.

If you have a mole or cancerous growth on your skin, then you must go to a dermatologist and have it surgically removed. 

On the other hand, if you need to correct the appearance of your damaged skin, then you should look into something called Broadband Light (BBL) Therapy.

BBL treatment is an effective way to restore the youthful and smooth appearance of your skin. 

It is an advanced photo rejuvenation treatment that utilizes Broadband Light wavelengths to go deep under the skin and modify the genes that caused the aged skin. The results are short-term, but regular treatment sessions can help you sustain the results.