But, if you do what you can to alleviate the damages that you can change, the hands of time won’t be as unforgiving and you can retain much of your youthful appearance long past the years your parents did.

Begin with sun care. Use sunscreen no matter what your age. Whenever you go into the sun or outside you can prevent the signs of aging before they even happen by using a sunscreen that has an SPF of 15 or higher. Get into the habit of using it early morning on your face and hands. Some foundations will also have this level of protection. Don’t forget about the backs of your hands. Your face may be without wrinkles or sunspots but your hands may tell your age. Your hands are exposed to the sun each day when you are behind the wheel of your car or sitting near a window.

One of the first signs of sun damage is a suntan, which results from injury to the epidermis layer of the skin. The UV light accelerates the production of melanin. The extra melanin creates the tan, which is actually the body’s way of protecting the skin from further damage by UV light. Eventually sun will cause a sunburn that kills and damages skin cells. If there is enough sun to cause a burn there will also be damage to the DNA of the skin cells.

For instance, researchers know that exposure to the sun increases the amount of collagen and elastin that are lost in your skin, speeding the aging process. Exposure to the sun damages the skin and increases your risk of skin cancer as well. The problem stems from the ultraviolet rays from the sun and tanning beds and fluorescent lighting. So, although you may be spending the majority of your time indoors in an office, if there is fluorescent lighting you still need sunscreen each morning under your make up and on your exposed skin.

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