Incredible photo shows EXACTLY what happens if you only put sunscreen on your face

Australia
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Why you need to wear sunscreen on your neck: Shocking photo shows EXACTLY what happens if you only put SPF on your face: ‘It’s not too late’

  • Author and scientist Hannah English has offered a reminder about sunscreen use
  • A viral image of a 92-year-old women has showed the power of high SPF
  • She used it on her face but not her neck and the results were telling

By Matilda Rudd For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 17:43 BST, 11 September 2022 | Updated: 17:43 BST, 11 September 2022

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An Australian skin expert has urged men and women to apply sunscreen to their face, neck and chest after an image of a 92-year-old woman who failed to put any SPF below her jawline went viral.

Author and scientist Hannah English took to Instagram on Wednesday to lay bare the consequences of only using sun cream on your face and not your neck.

A 92-year-old woman was left with a sun-battered neck covered in wrinkles and liver spots after choosing not to use UV-protective moisturisers below her face for more than 40 years.

But the pensioner, who was not named in the photograph or the study, was left with unblemished skin on her face, where she had used SPF products.

Author and scientist Hannah English took to Instagram on Wednesday to lay bare the consequences of only using sun cream on your face and not your neck

An Australian skin expert has implored her countrymen to apply sunscreen to their face, neck and chest after an image of a 92-year-old woman who failed to put any SPF below her jawline went viral

An Australian skin expert has implored her countrymen to apply sunscreen to their face, neck and chest after an image of a 92-year-old woman who failed to put any SPF below her jawline went viral

Author and scientist Hannah English took to Instagram on Wednesday to lay bare the consequences of only using sun cream on your face and not your neck

Experts from the Technical University in Munich, Germany, said the images show the ‘striking difference in solar damage’ between parts of the body that were protected in the sun.

They warned not enough is being done to encourage sun cream use, which is vital in reducing skin cancers.

‘It’s not too late to start wearing SPF daily! This woman is 92 and wore SPF on the face and not the neck for 40+ years,’ Hannah said.

‘Which means she probably started in her 50s. Just don’t forget your neck and chest. And probably hands.’

Regular users of sun cream with SPF 15 or higher can cut their risk of melanoma – a skin cancer that kills 2,300 people in Britain and 7,650 in the US every year – in half, studies suggest.

Melanoma of the skin was the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia in 2018. It is estimated that it will become the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in 2022. 

A 92-year-old woman has been left with a sun-battered neck covered in wrinkles and age spots because she did not use UV-protection below her face for more than 40 years

A 92-year-old woman has been left with a sun-battered neck covered in wrinkles and age spots because she did not use UV-protection below her face for more than 40 years

A 92-year-old woman has been left with a sun-battered neck covered in wrinkles and age spots because she did not use UV-protection below her face for more than 40 years

The woman’s picture was first reported in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Writing in the journal, dermatologist Dr Chritsian Posch said the picture shows how ‘preventing the negative effects of UV-radiation is both important and actionable’.

He said: ‘Clinical examination reveals a striking difference in solar damage between her cheek and neck.’

Looking older because of the passage of time is natural – but doing so because of sun exposure is known as photo-aging. 

Around 90 per cent of all visible changes to the skin are caused by photo-aging, the Skin Cancer Foundation claims.

What are the warning signs of melanoma?

The first five letters of the alphabet are a guide to help you recognise the warning signs of melanoma.

A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle of the lesion, the two halves don’t match, so it looks different from a round to oval and symmetrical common mole.

B is for Border. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges, while common moles tend to have smoother, more even borders.

C is for Colour. Multiple colours are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, a melanoma may have different shades of brown, tan or black. As it grows, the colours red, white or blue may also appear.

D is for Diameter or Dark. While it’s ideal to detect a melanoma when it is small, it’s a warning sign if a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser (about 6 mm, or ¼ inch in diameter) or larger. Some experts say it is also important to look for any lesion, no matter what size, that is darker than others. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colourless.

E is for Evolving. Any change in size, shape, colour or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

Source: Skincancer.org 

UV rays can penetrate the first two layers of skin – the epidermis and dermis – and damage cells’ DNA. 

Damage in the top epidermis layer causes the body to produce melanin, as part of its attempt to block the sun from continuing its assault.

This usually results in the body tanning, as the substance produces a darker pigment in the skin. 

Exposure to UVA waves, which have a longer wavelength and penetrate deeper than to the other form of UV, UVB, leads to damage in the middle dermis layer over time.

The layer contains collagen, elastin and other fibres supporting the skin’s structure.

Melanoma: The most dangerous form of skin cancer

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It happens after the DNA in skin cells is damaged (typically due to harmful UV rays) and then not repaired so it triggers mutations that can form malignant tumours.  

Causes

  • Sun exposure: UV and UVB rays from the sun and tanning beds are harmful to the skin
  • Moles: The more moles you have, the greater the risk for getting melanoma 
  • Skin type: Fairer skin has a higher risk for getting melanoma
  • Hair colour: Red heads are more at risk than others
  • Personal history: If you’ve had melanoma once, then you are more likely to get it again
  • Family history: If previous relatives have been diagnosed, then that increases your risk

Treatment 

This can be done by removing the entire section of the tumor or by the surgeon removing the skin layer by layer. When a surgeon removes it layer by layer, this helps them figure out exactly where the cancer stops so they don’t have to remove more skin than is necessary. 

The patient can decide to use a skin graft if the surgery has left behind discoloration or an indent. 

  • Immunotherapy, radiation treatment or chemotherapy: 

This is needed if the cancer reaches stage III or IV. That means that the cancerous cells have spread to the lymph nodes or other organs in the body. 

Prevention

  • Use sunscreen and do not burn
  • Avoid tanning outside and in beds 
  • Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside
  • Keep newborns out of the sun
  • Examine your skin every month
  • See your physician every year for a skin exam 

 Source: Skin Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society

The deeper penetration damages these proteins, leading to the skin gradually becoming looser and wrinkly.

This is why UVA radiation is considered the main cause of photoaging. UVB is the type of ray more associated with sunburns. 

Meanwhile infra-red light, which is felt as heat, and high-energy visible (HEV) light from the sun are also linked with damaging the dermis.  

The combined effects can lead to the skin becoming looser, more wrinkly and liver spotted. 

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