Summer, beach and a pleasant sun that warms your skin. It's all great, but not always good for our body. It turns out that the sun's rays are not always friendly to us. Long exposure time in the sun, especially during it's hottest hours, will bring you more harm than pleasure.
That’s because the sun gives off ultraviolet (UV) light that damages your skin and causes sunburn. With time, these rays can lead to wrinkles, dark spots, and other problem areas. The result: You can add years to your looks. Research shows that UV exposure is the reason behind 80% of your skin’s aging.
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Symptoms
Sun-damaged skin shows the following symptoms:
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Dry skin — The skin appears dry, flaky and slightly more wrinkled than the skin on other parts of your body that have not been exposed to the sun. Dry skin is also one of the most common causes of itching.
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Sunburn — Mild sunburn causes pain and redness on sun-exposed skin. In most cases, there are clear boundary lines where the skin has been protected from the sun by shirt sleeves, shorts, a bathing suit or other clothing. More severe cases of sunburn produce painful blisters, sometimes together with nausea and dizziness.
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Actinic keratosis — An actinic keratosis appears as a small bump that feels like sandpaper or a persistent patch of scaly (peeling) skin that may have a jagged or even sharp surface and that has a pink, yellow, red or brownish tint. At first, an actinic keratosis may be the size of a pimple. Rarely, an actinic keratosis may itch or be slightly tender.
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Long-term changes in the skin's collagen— Symptoms of collagen changes include fine lines, deeper wrinkles, a thickened skin texture and easy bruising on sun-exposed areas, especially the back of the hands and forearms.
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When You Should Visit Doctor
Call your primary care physician or a dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in skin problems) if you have any of the following problems:
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Dry skin that doesn't respond to non-prescription treatments
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A severe case of blistering sunburn
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A milder sunburn over a very large portion of your skin, especially if your painful skin makes it hard for you to sleep or to wear clothing
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A persistent scaly patch or nodule anywhere on your skin, or a skin ulcer that does not heal
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Abnormal bleeding under the skin, or skin that bruises very easily
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Any change in moles
You can find wonderful and competent dermatologists inManhattan Dermatology Specialistsclinic in Upper East Side. Best rated dermatologist in NYC Dr. Susan Bard provides treatment for a full range of dermatologic ailments including acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and warts. A wide variety of cosmetic procedures such as Botox, dermal filler, laser skin tightening, acne scar treatment and stretch mark treatment are offered using the latest techniques and technologies available in USA.