The Science of Sun Exposure for Your Skin

Sun-exposed skin, regardless of our age, can gradually lose moisture and essential oils. Avoid long-term damage in your outdoor work.

By Loretta Sorensen
Published on May 24, 2022
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Barbara Jackson

When there’s no alternative to working outside during summer while the sun is at its peak, exposed skin, regardless of the level of pigment, is most susceptible to sun damage between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Over a lifetime, sunburn and unprotected sun exposure can significantly increase a person’s risk of malignant melanoma and other forms of skin cancer.

Sun-exposed skin, regardless of our age, can gradually lose moisture and essential oils, making it appear dry, flaky, and prematurely wrinkled. Sunburn is a common name for skin injury that appears immediately after skin is exposed to UV radiation. In mild cases, sunburn causes only painful reddening of the skin. In more severe cases, tiny fluid-filled bumps (vesicles) or larger blisters appear.

Actinic Keratosis and Longer-Term Sun Damage

Over time, actinic keratosis may develop. This is a tiny bump that feels like sandpaper or a small, scaly patch of sun-damaged skin that has a pink, red, yellow or brownish tint.

Actinic keratosis doesn’t generally go away unless it’s frozen, chemically treated or removed by a physician. This condition may develop in areas of skin that have undergone repeated or long-term UV sunlight exposure. Approximately 10% to 15% of these cases change into squamous cell cancers of the skin.

As a rule, persons with fair skin and light eyes are at greater risk of sun-related skin damage and skin cancers. That’s due to the fact that their skin contains less melanin (a pigment). Melanin helps protect skin from the effects of UV radiation.

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