The sun's rays can age you faster
Published on: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: While the sun is important to Mankind as a source of energy and Vitamin D provider, among other benefits, it can also make you look or grow older at a more rapid process.That was a take-home message for members of the Kota Kinabalu Widows Welfare Association (KKWWA) from Physician (Internal Medicine) Dr Lu Ying Shean in her talk on Photoageing (Sun & You) at the Health Awareness Talk.For the first time, many were hearing the term "Photoageing" wondering what it is all about.
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Simply, Photoageing is a condition of premature skin ageing which results from prolonged and repeated exposure to solar radiation, that is, Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. And it is superimposed on the changes caused by chronological ageing (which is a biological process).Participants at the talk learned that Photoageing is responsible for most of the age-associated changes of the skin. And do you know that a darker skin offers better protection from the sun while a fair and less pigmented skin is at increased risk of photodamage (to the skin)?For treatment, the decision to use any of the existing therapies in the treatment of Photoageing depends on the individual patient's values and preferences.Enlightening the widows, Dr Lu said there are two types of UV rays from the sun that reach our skin, namely UVB and UVA, to begin with.
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"UVA has a wave length that is longer than UVB and thus it can penetrate or reach the deeper layer of your skin. Hence, it contributes to premature ageing or causes us to age faster. In fact, UVA is a 'silent killer' causing photoageing and skin cancer."In contrast, UVB is more on causing sunburn or tanning of your skin," she told the women.
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What are the clinical signs of Photoageing?According to Dr Lu, these include fine and coarse wrinkles, aged spot or liver spot (pigmented spot), hyperpigmentation or dyspigmentation (abnormal pigmentation), loss of translucency and elasticity, dry texture and sallow colour.The event was jointly organised by the Kota Kinabalu Widows Welfare Association (KKWWA) and Sabah Care Specialist Clinic at the association's Senior Day Care Centre.At the Question & Answer Session, women posed numerous questions to the physician to dispel their doubts.Who are vulnerable or prone to Photoageing?Answer : Fair-skinned population and Skin prototypes I, II and III.It also depends on the amount of time spent in the sunlight over a lifetime, she said, adding "It's a long process, over years before one sees the effect on the skin."For people with darker skin, Dr Lu pointed out, wrinkling is not readily apparent until the age of 50 years and the severity is not as marked as in light-skinned populations of similar age.Citing studies, she said wrinkles in Chinese women occurred on average 10 years later than in French women, for instance.Can Photoageing be prevented?The physician said it can be partially prevented or reversed or improved through a number of measures. These include sun protection and prescription medications.Sun protection : Sun avoidance, that is, Avoid going under the sun around 10am to 2pm. Physical protection entails wearing long-sleeves or using umbrella, hats, sunglasses or using sunscreen (with UVB blockers) and protective clothing with ultraviolet protecting factor (UPF). Dark colour clothing and clothing with tighter knit have better protective effect compared with worn and wet clothing.Replying to a participant, Dr Lu suggested regular use of broad spectrum sunscreens (a new batch of sunscreens) which provide protection against UVA and UVB radiation."A sunscreen has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15, 30, 50 or more. It relates to the amount of time you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned."For example, an SPF of 15 would allow you to stay in the sun 15 times longer than you could without protection," she said.Any difference between SPF 15, 30 and 50?"Of course, in terms of ultraviolet (UV) absorption, which is 93pc, 97pc and 98pc respectively," Dr Lu said. "We recommend a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 and above. Which means the higher the rating, the better the protection from UV radiation. The rating system was created in Japan and is now mostly adopted in Asia."From another perspective, Dr Lu said water and concrete can reflect up to 90pc of the UV rays but such reflection can also penetrate our skin while shade decreases the amount of UV by 50 to 90pc."Staying away from the sun in the peak hours or seeking shade may considerably reduce sun exposure."Answering another question, Dr Lu said the incidence of skin cancer in Malaysia is not as high as that in Australia, for example. This led to the next question on why skin ages at different speeds.Dr Lu, who inherited a good skin from her mother, explained : "Skin type (texture and quality of skin) depends on genetics. Fine skin with small pores is better as it is less problematic than pimply or oily skin. To a certain extent, how fast our skin ages is also related to genetics."Asians have more melanin which can protect them from the sun. Melanin is the pigment that gives human skin, hair and eyes their colour. Dark-skinned people have more melanin in their skin than their light-skinned counterparts.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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