Photodamage, photoaging and photoprotection of the skin

Overexposure to ultraviolet and visible radiation causes sunburn. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cool baths and topical steroids offer only mild relief. Long-term sun exposure causes chronic inflammatory skin changes. Photodamage, rather than the normal aging process, may account for 90 percent of age-associated cosmetic skin problems. Physicians should stress to their patients that all ultraviolet exposure (including sun beds and tanning salons) causes skin damage. Regular sunscreen use during childhood and adolescence may result in an 80 percent reduction in the lifetime incidence of ultraviolet-induced skin damage, including nonmelanoma skin cancers.