Photoaging: the effects of ultraviolet light on the skin

Signs of photoaging

2025-06-17

The main task of a cosmetologist is not only to be able to explain to their patients how to protect themselves from the sun's rays, but also to prepare their skin for intensive sunbathing, and afterwards - to restore its softness and moisture.

Although much is known about the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays on the skin, there are still lovers of sunbathing. Exposing their bodies to the “gentle” rays of the sun, they, of course, do not feel how collagen and elastin fibers are damaged - they only notice that every day their skin becomes drier, age spots appear, a network of wrinkles that were not there yesterday... That is, they literally notice all the signs of premature skin aging.

Photoaging of the skin is aging induced by the influence of the sun on human skin. This is a cumulative process. Unlike chronological aging, which depends on the age of each individual, photoaging depends on the amount and intensity of solar insolation, as well as on skin pigmentation. It is no secret that the most pronounced signs of photoaging are shown on the faces of people who are often and for a long time in the sun, due to their profession or place of residence.

The severity of clinical manifestations of photoaging is directly related to the cumulative effect of ultraviolet (UV) rays. Visible manifestations of photoaging can be diseases such as solar (senile) lentigo and solar (actinic) keratosis.

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