Aesthetic Medicine Physicians & Surgeons Erase The Wrinkles Painless Laser Makeovers 
Sun Damage
SUN DAMAGE can occur to any color of skin through direct sunlight or by over exposure in a tanning booth. A small amount of sun is beneficial and activates vitamin D in the skin which helps make strong bones and teeth. Over exposure can lead to premature aging, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, brownish spots known as: age spots" or "liver spots" and several types of cancer. Even dark skin can be damaged by the sun but very light skin is the most vulnerable. The ultraviolet light generated by the sun or in the tanning booth liberates a " free radical" in the skin which leads to damage to the DNA in the cells. These cells can then produce an overabundance of melanin (brownish skin pigment) which can initially produce tanning but later yields enlarged brownish areas. The over exposure can also lead to several types of skin cancers including melanomas. Sunburn accelerates these changes and is even more dangerous than constant tanning or over exposure.
