It’s Not Your Age Showing…
Just like your tan lines, the long
sunny summer days have faded. Those hours spent
soaking up the sun are becoming just a memory,
but your skin won’t forget.
Whether seeking the perfect summer
tan or achieving that “sun-kissed glow”
that comes from spending more time enjoying
outdoor activities, the sun has left a lasting
mark on your skin.
“What most people don’t
realize is that the sun’s effect on the skin
accumulates over the years,” says Dr. Zein
Obagi, a Beverly Hills dermatologist and
developer of the Obagi Nu-Derm System. “You
cannot point to one particularly bad sunburn as
the culprit, the damage done by the sun builds
each time we leave our skin unprotected and
becomes evident as we age.”
What most people in their 30s and
40s attribute to aging, dermatologists identify
as the effects of sun damage coming to the
surface of the skin.
Kathleen Johnson, 44, fair-skinned
and a long time sun lover from Southern
California began to notice the signs this past
summer. “When I went out to sit in the sun
without sunscreen, even for 20 minutes or so,
within the hour small red bumps would begin to
appear on my arms and legs,” she said.
“They would itch and last for a day or two
and be gone.”
Skin sensitivity is just one sign of
sun damage according to Dr. Obagi. After years in
the sun your skin will show several telltale
signs that it was not properly protected by
sunscreen or by keeping exposed skin covered with
clothing or shaded. The most common of these
signs are darkening patches of skin known as
hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles --
especially around the eyes and mouth, thinning of
the skin, broken veins, skin sensitivity and, in
some instances, skin cancer.
By the time many patients make an
appointment with their dermatologist, or in some
cases their plastic surgeon, they have
self-diagnosed the problems as aging and probably
have self-treated those lines and wrinkles with
an over-the-counter product.
“While over-the-counter
products can make short-term improvements by
delaying the inevitable signs of aging, only
prescription skin care products can treat the
effects of sun damage at the cellular
level,” explains Dr. Obagi. “And, the
sooner we can begin to treat the effects of sun
damage, the sooner we can ‘transform’
the skin to look and act younger and
healthier.”
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of "It's Not Your Age Showing"--->
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