General Dermatology / Photodamaged Skin
What is Photodamaged skin?
Photodamaged or sun damaged skin is something few escape. Photo damage occurs with exposure to sunlight (UVA or UVB) whether or not we intentionally suntan. Twenty five percent of our lifetime exposure occurs before the end of our teenage years. Photo damage to skin manifests in a variety of ways including:
- Advanced aging or wrinkling
- Uneven or "pebbly" skin
- Irregular pigmentation
- Small blood vessels or red markings (telangiectasias)
- Rough or scaly patches (actinic keratoses)
- Freckles (ephilides)
- "Liver spots" and "age spots" (lentigines)
- Thinned or fragile skin
- pre skin cancers
- Skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma)
For the most part these changes occur most frequently on areas of chronic exposure including the face, ears, neck, backs of the hands, chest, arms and legs. Buttocks or upper inner arms are often preserved and pristine emphasizing the difference between chronological aging and photo aging.
