Skin damage worst when young

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 23:00 in Health & Medicine

The research suggets that in order to prevent wrinkles and skin damage, you need to protect your skin as a child. Image: firemanYU/iStockphoto Young people are at risk of suffering the worst skin damage they will receive during their lifetime, research from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has found.Researcher Professor Michael Kimlin from QUT's AusSun Research Lab said the study found UV exposure during a person's first 18 years of life was the most critical for cancer-causing skin damage and skin aging.Professor Kimlin said while people aged over 50 had the slowest rate of skin degradation, results indicated that damage still occurred even at that age, so lifetime sun protection was important.The study used a unique, non-invasive "UV camera", which took images of skin damage and aging invisible to the naked eye, to measure the relationship between lifetime sun exposure and skin cancer risk.Professor Kimlin said the majority of skin damage occurred...

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