Sun Damage & Sun Spots

Sun exposure in the most significant cause of skin ageing (‘photoageing’). This occurs because ultraviolet radiation causes cumulative changes to the DNA of your skin cells, causing the appearance of lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, and redness. Sun damage can also lead to pre-cancerous spots (‘sun spots’ or ‘actinic keratosis’) and skin cancers.

Sun spots appear as small red scaly rough patches of skin on sun-exposed parts of the body. They can be asymptomatic or associated with skin sensitivity/discomfort.

Patients with sun damaged skin or other risk factors should be having regular skin checks to enable the early detection and treatment of skin cancers. Regular use of sunscreen and sun-smart practices has been shown to reduce the incidence of skin cancers and melanoma, and it is the first step in addressing skin photoageing.

Sun spots may be treated with cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), medicated creams, or ablative laser.

The cosmetic changes associated with sun damage may be treated with appropriate skincare regimens, topical medications, lasers, peels, or microneedling.