Americans spend billions of dollars each year on skin care products that promise to erase wrinkles, lighten age spots, and eliminate itching, flaking, or redness. But
simplest and cheapest way to keep your skin healthy and young looking is to stay out of sun.Sunlight is a major cause of skin changes we think of as aging changes such as wrinkles, dryness, and age spots. Your skin does change with age. For example, you sweat less, leading to increased dryness. As your skin ages, it becomes thinner and loses fat, so it looks less plump and smooth. Underlying structures veins and bones in particular become more prominent. Your skin can take longer to heal when injured.
You can delay these changes by staying out of sun. Although nothing can completely undo sun damage, skin sometimes can repair itself. So, it's never too late to protect yourself from harmful effects of sun.
Wrinkles
Over time, sun's ultraviolet (UV) light damages fibers in skin called elastin. The breakdown of these fibers causes skin to lose its ability to snap back after stretching. As a result, wrinkles form. Gravity also is at work, pulling at skin and causing it to sag, most noticeably on face, neck, and upper arms.
Cigarette smoking also contributes to wrinkles. People who smoke tend to have more wrinkles than nonsmokers of same age, complexion, and history of sun exposure. The reason for this difference is not clear. It may be because smoking also plays a role in damaging elastin. Facial wrinkling increases with amount of cigarettes and number of years a person has smoked.
Many products currently on market claim to ?revitalize aging skin.? According to American Academy of Dermatology, over-the-counter ?wrinkle? creams and lotions may soothe dry skin, but they do little or nothing to reverse wrinkles. At this time, only products that have been studied for safety and effectiveness and approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat signs of sun-damaged or aging skin are tretinoin cream and carbon dioxide (CO2) and erbium (Er:YAG) lasers.
Tretinoin cream (Renova), a vitamin A derivative available by prescription only, is approved for reducing appearance of fine wrinkles, mottled darkened spots, and roughness in people whose skin doesn?t improve with regular skin care and use of sun protection. However, it doesn't eliminate wrinkles, repair sun-damaged skin, or restore skin to its healthier, younger structure. It hasn't been studied in people 50 and older or in people with moderately or darkly pigmented skin.
The CO2 and Er:YAG lasers are approved to treat wrinkles. The doctor uses laser to remove skin one layer at a time. Laser therapy is performed under anesthesia in an outpatient surgical setting.
The FDA currently is studying safety of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which are widely promoted to reduce wrinkles, spots, and other signs of aging, sun-damaged skin. Some studies suggest that they may work, but there is concern about adverse reactions and long-term effects of their use. Because people who use AHA products have greater sensitivity to sun, FDA advises consumers to protect themselves from sun exposure by using sunscreen, wearing a hat, or avoiding mid-day sun. If you are interested in treatment for wrinkles, you should discuss treatment options with a dermatologist.
Dry Skin and Itching
Many older people suffer from dry skin, particularly on their lower legs, elbows, and forearms. The skin feels rough and scaly and often is accompanied by a distressing, intense itchiness. Low humidity ? caused by overheating during winter and air conditioning during summer ? contributes to dryness and itching. The loss of sweat and oil glands as you age also may worsen dry skin. Anything that further dries your skin ? such as overuse of soaps, antiperspirants, perfumes, or hot baths ? will make problem worse. Dehydration, sun exposure, smoking, and stress also may cause dry skin.
Dry skin itches because it is irritated easily. If your skin is very dry and itchy, see a doctor. Dry skin and itching can affect your sleep, cause irritability, or be a symptom of a disease. For example, diabetes and kidney disease can cause itching. Some medicines make itchiness worse.
The most common treatment for dry skin is use of moisturizers to reduce water loss and soothe skin. Moisturizers come in several forms ? ointments, creams, and lotions. Ointments are mixtures of water in oil, usually either lanolin or petrolatum. Creams are preparations of oil in water, which is main ingredient. Creams must be applied more often than ointments to be most effective. Lotions contain powder crystals dissolved in water, again main ingredient. Because of their high water content, they feel cool on skin and don?t leave skin feeling greasy. Although they are easy to apply and may be more pleasing than ointments and creams, lotions don?t have same protective qualities. You may need to apply them frequently to relieve signs and symptoms of dryness. Moisturizers should be used indefinitely to prevent recurrence of dry skin.
A humidifier can add moisture to air. Bathing less often and using milder soaps also can help relieve dry skin. Warm water is less irritating to dry skin than hot water.
Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is most common type of cancer in United States. According to current estimates, 40 to 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once. Although anyone can get skin cancer, risk is greatest for people who have fair skin that freckles easily.
UV radiation from sun is main cause of skin cancer. In addition, artificial sources of UV radiation ? such as sunlamps and tanning booths ? can cause skin cancer. People who live in areas of U.S. that get high levels of UV radiation from sun are more likely to get skin cancer. For example, skin cancer is more common in Texas and Florida than in Minnesota, where sun is not as strong.
There are three common types of skin cancers. Basal cell carcinomas are most common, accounting for more than 90 percent of all skin cancers in United States. They are slow-growing cancers that seldom spread to other parts of body. Squamous cell carcinomas also rarely spread, but they do so more often than basal cell carcinomas. The most dangerous of all cancers that occur in skin is melanoma. Melanoma can spread to other organs, and when it does, it often is fatal.
