Ultraviolet Light
The sun's ultraviolet light damages fibers in the skin called elastin, causing the skin to lose its elasticity. When these fibers break down they lose the ability to snap back after stretching. Wrinkles will then form. Gravity also pulls at the skin and causes it to sag on the face, neck and upper arms. Chronic exposure to sunlight can produce fine and coarse wrinkles, rough leathery texture and mottled or blotchy pigmentation, according to the Merck Manuals, the health care journal for medical professionals and consumers. The ultraviolet radiation scatters into the tissues just beneath the skin's surface and only a fraction of the radiation is actually absorbed by the skin's living cells. Over time, the radiation damages sensitive substances that affect the skin's normal growth and appearance.
Enzymes
Although great changes may take many years to develop, the damage is irreversible. The changing process is called photoaging. In response to the sun-induced elastin accumulation, the body produces enzymes that normally remodel sun-injured tissues and repair collagen, a protein found in skin and other parts of the body. But large amounts of the enzyme can also break down collagen fibers, especially when there is overexposure to the sun. People with fair to moderate skin color can be negatively affected by these enzymes with as little as 5 to 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight can also result in an overproduction of oxidants, which normally provide oxygen to the body but can damage the body's cells and alter genetic material.
Spots
Years of sun exposure also lead to age spots, which are flat, brown spots on the skin. The spots usually appear on the face, hands, arms, back and feet. Fair-skinned people are prone to blemishes that can be accompanied by wrinkling, dryness and roughness of the skin. Exposure to radiation from sunlight accounts for about 90 percent of the symptoms of premature aging. Most of these effects from sun exposure occur by age 20. Signs of the effects may not show up until 10 to 20 years later, but people living in sun-intense areas can show the signs of photoaging while still in their 20s. Over-the-counter wrinkle creams and lotions may soothe dry skin, but the American Academy of Dermatology states these products do little or nothing to reverse wrinkles. Oddly, some researchers believe an overexposure to the sun and some skin damage has a positive side. It believes people who have been exposed to the sun over the years, even those who are fair skinned, develop a tougher texture in their skin and will be less likely to develop skin cancers. But the skin will still show signs of aging.
