Sun protection is an everyday necessity. Only a little exposure to the sun each day could be damaging to your skin. The effects of sun damage are known to cause wrinkles, age spots, spider veins, blotchy complexion, and essentially premature skin aging. What are the effects of prolonged sun exposure and how can you prevent them to maintain healthy younger looking skin?

What is Involved in Sun Damage?

The dermatological term for the effects of aging due to the sun is "photoaging". Signs of "photoaging" appear when the skin is no longer able to regenerate and sun damage accumulates. Studies have found that UV rays can break down our collagen proteins. Exposure to the sun also harms the skin's elastin. UV radiation is one of the major creators of free radicals. These also contribute to wrinkling, collagen break down, as well as alteration of genetic material that could be a antecedent to cancer. Exposure to the sun us also recognized to harm the enzymes accountable for restoring skin cells. As a result, sun damaged skin is more saggy and loose, which causes wrinkles, and without the mechanisms needed to be able to restore itself.

How Does the Sun Create Wrinkles?

One of the most common effects of UV radiation is wrinkles. Wrinkles show up on the parts of your body where UV exposure is the greatest. The production of free radicals and the break down of collagen can create all kinds of wrinkles from fine surface line to deep furrows. The protein that connects your skin tissues to make it firm and smooth are collagen proteins. The lack of this necessary component produces skin that is saggy and wrinkled. Once collagen is damaged it can not rebuild itself. Facial wrinkles are created in this manner up to 80 percent of the time.

What Does the Sun Do to Cause a Blotchy Complexion?

A second common outcome of sun exposure is age spots. A melanin pigment in our skin helps to absorb sunlight and protect us from UV rays. Yet, after some time, we lose our ability to deflect UV light and we start to see the appearance of age spots. These come from the sun's ability to damage melanocytes, which are the cells that produce melanin. As time goes by, sun exposure causes more pigment than normal to be deposited in the skin. This leaves your skin with flat, brown skin discolorations known as age spots.

How do You Protect Yourself From the Sun?

It's a good idea to stay away from tanning and avoid the sun's strongest rays between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Buy a quality sunscreen lotion with high SPF, 'sun protection factor' that tell you how long you are able to be exposed to the sun before you burn. Make sure to use sunscreen everyday. If planning a day outdoors, put on a good amount of sunscreen and reapply it every two hours. Sunglasses and hats also protect the most vulnerable areas such as the ears, face, nose, neck, scalp, and eyes. Also think about what to wear. Clothes of lighter colors and more thickly woven materials are better at deflecting dangerous rays. Make sure to protect yourself as best you can to avoid these effects of sun exposure, however, if you are already bothered by apparent signs of aging, consider a natural skin care solution that can repair your skin and reverse the effects.

If you are already victim to sun damaged skin there are certain products available that have been shown to reverse the effects. Bio Skin Revitalizer is a natural skin treatment that initiates the restoration of damaged skin cells. It repairs built up damage due to sun exposure and restores a protective barrier to prevent further harm. This anti aging product is applied once a day in the evening to repair your skin while you sleep so you wake up with healthier younger looking skin.