Damage from adverse exposure to UV rays, such as pigmentation, skin cancers and wrinkles, can never be fully repaired, according to Dr Suretha Kannenberg, a consultant in the division of dermatology at Stellenbosch University’s faculty of medicine and health sciences.
These conditions extend to a location’s proximity towards the equator , the season , weather, time of day, altitude and changes in the ozone layer, Tod adds.“Excessive UV light exposure is associated with damage to the skin. This damage can be divided into acute and chronic effects,” says Tod. Acute effects include sunburn and heat stroke, while chronic effects include an increased risk of skin cancer, skin ageing and uneven pigmentation.
“Some individuals will have a tanning response to sun exposure,” says Kannenberg. “This is [the] body’s way of protecting the sensitive DNA inside skin cells [from] sun exposure.” Kannenberg adds that pigmentation is also part of the ageing process and that darker skin colours “are much more sensitive to develop pigmentation such as melasma after sun exposure”. Furthermore,She also warns that sunbeds are strongly linked to ageing, and that the concentrated UV-A radiation in such treatments is “intensely involved in the development of melanoma”.
Kannenberg says pigmentation, or melasma, is extremely difficult to treat. And even though there are “many strategies to treat uneven pigmentation”, it often still comes back.It is best to avoid being in the sun between 10am and 4pm, when UV levels are highest, according to Tod. During outdoor activities, plan to provide shade and avoid being in the sun in the middle of the day, she adds.
“Many people think of sunscreen as the beginning and end of sun protection, but it is only one component of our sun-protection strategy,” says Tod.
ANC is worse than the risk of UV!