A disturbing photograph reveals the repercussions of simply applying sunscreen to the face and not the neck.
A 92-year-old woman was left with a sun-damaged neck covered in wrinkles and liver spots because she neglected to use UV-protective moisturizers below her face for more than four decades.
On her face, where she had used SPF creams, however, the unnamed senior citizen was left with flawless skin.
The photos, according to experts from Germany’s Technical University in Munich, reveal a “startling disparity in solar damage” between sun-exposed and sun-protected body areas.
They cautioned that not enough is being done to promote the use of sunblock, which is essential for preventing skin malignancies.
The National Health Service urges everyone to use at least factor 30 protection.
Melanoma is a skin disease that annually kills 2,300 individuals in the United Kingdom and 7,650 people in the United States. According to research, regular users of sun lotion with an SPF of 15 or above can lower their chance of developing melanoma in half.
The photograph of the woman was originally published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
Dr. Chritsian Posch, a dermatologist, said in the journal that the image demonstrates that “preventing the adverse consequences of UV-radiation is both essential and achievable.”
He stated, “A clinical examination reveals a dramatic disparity in sun damage between the patient’s cheek and neck.”
Photo-aging refers to the aging process caused by sun exposure.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, approximately ninety percent of all apparent skin changes are due to photoaging.
UV rays are capable of penetrating the epidermis and dermis of the skin and damaging the DNA of cells.
As part of its effort to repel the sun’s continued onslaught, the body produces melanin in response to damage to the upper epidermal layer.
This typically results in a tan, as the chemical causes the skin to develop a darker pigment.
Over time, exposure to UVA waves, which have a longer wavelength and penetrate deeper than UVB waves, causes damage to the dermis’ middle layer.
This layer is composed of collagen, elastin, and other fibers that sustain the structure of the skin.
The deeper infiltration destroys these proteins, causing the skin to gradually become more lax and wrinkled.
UVA radiation is regarded as the leading cause of photoaging for this reason. UVB is the type of ray most commonly linked to sunburns.
Similarly, infrared light, which is perceived as heat, and high-energy visual (HEV) light from the sun have been associated with dermal damage.
The combined effects may result in the skin becoming looser, more wrinkled, and liver-spotted.
