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American Medicine

Can more wrinkles be prevented?

We have all seen when people get older, they develop more and more wrinkles.  Unless celebrities have had face-lifts (and many have), you can see examples of wrinkling developing in celebrities on television and movies.  Although face-lifts may eliminate wrinkles on the face or neck, hands are always very revealing of the wrinkling that takes place.

Other than using plastic surgery, can other things be done to prevent this wrinkling with age.  In a surprising result, M. Hughes and co-authors (Annals of Internal Medicine 2013, Volume 158, Page 781), reported on an interesting trial in New Zealand.  Almost 1,000 adults under 55 years of age were told to use either daily sunscreen or sunscreen whenever they wanted to use it.

The surprising results showed that the daily use of sunscreen resulted in markedly reduced rate of skin aging and wrinkling over the course of almost five years.  Wrinkling was 25% less in the daily sunscreen group, and importantly was 34% less in women.  Furthermore, smokers, who can have more rapid and severe skin aging, had a reduction of 51% in the rate of skin aging.

So here are my tips for you:

• Protect your skin by daily use of sunscreen (it reduces skin cancers and can save your life).
• Do not smoke, since smoking increases skin damage.
• Be sure to avoid sun exposure by additional sunscreen application and avoidance of direct sun (hats, shades, and longer sleeves).
• Discuss your skin with your physician.
• Always be sure that you go to a skin specialist or a knowledgeable primary care specialist to have your skin examined annually.
• When you go to the physician, be sure to take off your clothes prior to the examination, rather than allowing the doctor to examine you with all of your clothes on. Doctors can’t diagnose skin cancer early without actually seeing your skin.
• If you use sunscreen, have your doctor check your vitamin D levels to be sure you have enough, and take supplements if your levels are low.

For more tips on getting the most out of your doctor visit, see my book “Surviving American Medicine.”