No one wants to look old before his or her time. Wrinkles, fine lines, dryness,  spotchiness, sagging and all those discolorations can make a person look 5,10 or even 15 years older. And the number one culprit behind premature aging is the sun. “Ninety-five percent of skin damage is photo damage, or damage from the sun,” says Dr. Alice Cohen of the Randali Centre for Aesthetic Medicine in Lancaster. Like most Baby Boomers, Cohen recalls soaking up the sun at the beach, slathering on the baby oil, intensifying the sun reflective foil and trying to get a rich, deep tan. Back then suntan lotions were not meant to protect people from the sun’s damaging rays. Instead, they were meant to help people get darker, just like the little girl in the suntan lotion ads.

“We all wanted tans, but now we know better. A tan is actually skin damage,” says Cohen. “That damage manifests itself most obviously as people get older. By age 30, skin aging begins and skin that has been exposed to sun damage ages even faster. A person whose has skin damage from the sun can look years older. Add other damaging habits, like poor diet and smoking, and skin can suffer even more.”

In fact, as Cohen notes, the combination of sun exposure and smoking is especially dangerous, reducing collagen in the skin and causing premature wrinkles, sagging, pigmentation and dryness.  Sun and smoke damaged skin can look abnormally grey or bluish. And, of course, sun damage is the number one cause of skin cancers.

“The sun is the great enemy of healthy skin.  But we didn’t know it then,” says Cohen. She advises her patients to reduce the effects of too much sun, by protecting their skin now. Sunscreen is a must, along with hats, staying the shade whenever possible and keeping the skin hydrated.

Depending on the amount of sun damage that has occurred from the past, there are many options that can help a person look younger and make the skin healthier. While some people might resort to plastic surgery, there are ways to undo some of the damage with less invasive procedures, such as laser skin resurfacing, photo rejuvenation, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, Botox and the Nu-Derm skin care system. The idea behind most of these treatments is to remove the dead, dry layers of skin to bring the deeper, healthier layers to the surface. The deeper the treatment goes, the more effective it will be in restoring skin cell health. Unfortunately, the more aggressive skin procedures can cause redness and serious irritation before skin begins to heal. Some peel treatments can cause several days to a week of “down time,” which means that the skin is so irritated a person cannot go out.

“While most skin treatments have downtime, an exception is laser treatment,” says Cohen. The laser stimulates the skin at a deeper level, while leaving the top layer — or epidermis — intact. Known as nonabative skin renewal, the top layer is left undisturbed and there is no downtime.  “That’s important, because few people want downtime. They don’t have time to be away from work or friends for several days,” says Cohen. The best treatment for various concerns depends on the amount of damage. There is some downtime, reports Cohen, to many of the treatments which is usually a few days. Some people might have a reaction that makes the skin red and itchy, but lotions and cosmetics can help to improve the reaction and appearance during the healing phase. It is a step by step system that must be followed for the best results.

Even with all the skin treatments that can help restore the skin’s youthful look, Cohen stresses that stopping bad habits is crucial. She advises patients to stay out of the sun, always wear sunscreen and not smoke. “Smoking is death to the skin,” she says.

Even older skin can be enhanced and improved without surgery. There are many procedures that make people look years younger at a wide range of costs. “The face is the first thing people notice about you, and your skin is like a canvas. We need to take care of our skin to look our best and be healthier” says Cohen.

This article originally appeared in Lancaster Newspaper September 30, 2007.