Signs of sun-damaged skin and how it forms

"It is only a few spots and wrinkles" is a pitch you may hear in a sun damage quote. This journal covers Saline, Michigan, and it checks that pitch against the published description of sun-damaged skin from Harvard Health.

The claim as it is usually presented

A quote often reduces sun damage to a cosmetic complaint. Ask which signs the clinic is counting and where those signs come from.

What a medical publisher lists as symptoms

www.harvardhealth.org describes sun-damaged skin as dry, flaky and slightly more wrinkled than skin on other parts of your body that have not been exposed to the sun. Read the full entry, Sun-Damaged Skin from Harvard Health, and compare its list with the signs a quote mentions.

What the collagen changes look like

www.harvardhealth.org adds that long-term changes in the skin's collagen show up as fine lines, deeper wrinkles, a thickened skin texture and easy bruising on sun-exposed areas, especially the back of the hands and forearms. A quote that checks only the face may be missing where those signs appear.

A second source on treatment

For the treatment side, read how dermatologists treat sun-damaged skin. If its approach differs from the plan you were quoted, note exactly where.

The question to ask

Which of these published signs does my skin show, and does the proposed treatment address that sign?