It’s impossible to avoid the Aussie sun entirely, but Australians are well aware of the dangers of too much exposure.

Some 40 years of Slip Slop Slap (and more recently added, Seek and Slide) campaigns have reinforced this, not to mention the unpleasant experience of a sunburn most of us have encountered at some point.

Skin does repair itself, but how long does that take? If you hit the beach for half an hour, then retreat to the shade for a while, then go back out, will the damage have gone back to baseline? Or are you accumulating it?

Like most things, it’s complicated.

How does the sun damage your skin?
Spending a day in the sun can cause 100,000 DNA defects in each exposed skin cell. DNA is the genetic information your body needs to build and run itself. There’s a copy in each of your cells, except for red blood cells and the layer of dead cells at the very surface of the skin.

Your cells have a very effective DNA repair process, called nucleotide excision repair, for this kind of damage. But some damage still slips through the cracks.

When your skin’s DNA monitoring system decides there is just too much damage to be effectively repaired, it tells the cells to self-destruct and calls in the immune system to finish them off. This causes the symptoms of sunburn: redness, pain, and sometimes blistering.

However, you don’t have to get sunburnt to start accumulating damage. A tan is your skin reacting to DNA damage by increasing the amount of melanin, which alters the skin’s colour, to mitigate future UV exposure. Though this only gives you the same protection as a 2–4 SPF sunscreen.

UV radiation in Australia is so high, particularly during summer, that you can start accumulating damage in the time it takes to hang out the washing or walk to the bus stop.

Even so, the amount of DNA damage is proportional to the amount of UV exposure, so longer exposures or exposures at high-UV times of day cause much more damage.

Remind me, what is UV radiation?
There are two types of UV radiation that damage skin – UVB mostly affects the upper layer, causing sunburn and skin cancer, and UVA mostly damages the lower layer, causing premature ageing.

These act in two different ways to damage skin, but due its cancer-causing properties, UVB is the better studied.

Light particles (UVB photons) discharge energy when they hit DNA. This causes bases on one DNA strand to connect to each other, instead of their corresponding bases on the other strand.

This distorts the DNA helix, so it doesn’t copy correctly when it’s time for the cells to divide.
And it causes permanent mutations that are replicated whenever the daughter cells multiply, setting the stage for skin cancers.

Even an exposure of half the amount of UV needed to cause a sunburn is enough to start generating these DNA defects.

How long does the damage take to repair?
Once they’re formed, the half-life of DNA defects is 20–30 hours, depending on the efficiency of your own DNA-repair machinery. That means it takes 20–30 hours for your cells to repair even half the damage.

In one study that took samples at 24 and 72 hours after exposure, almost 25% of the damage detected at the 24-hour mark was still present at 72 hours.

So if you’re already on your way to a sunburn, no, stepping away from the sun for 20 minutes to get an ice cream is not going to cut it. Your skin will eliminate most of the damage over a few days. But some may be missed or not found before the cell replicates.

You’re better off minimising damage in the first place by planning to hit the beach early, spending the middle part of the day reading your new murder mystery in the shade, and perhaps returning to the sands from mid-afternoon.

Alternatively, you could extend your time in the sun by covering up extensively with a long-sleeved rashie, thick leggings, hat and frequently reapplied sunscreen on anything not covered up – and don’t forget your feet!

Get into the habit of wearing sunscreen every day
The good news is 30+ SPF sunscreen can steeply reduce and sometimes completely block damage.

To protect your skin, apply sunscreen as part of your morning routine on any day when the UV index is forecast to be 3 or higher.

This will prevent an accumulation of damage from brief exposures like hanging out washing or walking in from the carpark.

Most weather forecasts will tell you what UV to expect but in Perth, Brisbane and Darwin it’s over 3 all year around.

If you’re going to be outside for a prolonged time, add sun protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses, reapply your sunscreen at least every two hours, and stay in the shade where possible.

If you do get sunburnt, the best thing you can do for yourself is stay out of the sun for a few days until the redness goes away. This lets your body deal with the damage as efficiently as possible without piling more on.

This article was originally published in The Conversation.

And it certainly is all very valid sold evidence backed advice.

Yet did you know that there are two specific vitamins that can give you significant protection from getting sun burnt and subsequent skin cancers? Yes, vitamins!

So, firstly let’s talk about niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3.

In 2015 a research group in Sydney found that taking niacinamide daily in a dose of 500-1000 mg resulted in 13% fewer precancerous sun spots appearing, and a 23% lower risk to develop a non-melanoma (that is, basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer).

Food sources of niacinamide include salmon, tuna, chicken, turkey, anchovies, and pork. It is also available as an inexpensive over-the-counter vitamin supplement.

Secondly, let’s discuss retinol and vitamin A.

Retinoid compounds, including retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid, are collectively referred to as vitamin A. Several studies from the USA between 2011 and 2019 have confirmed that retinoids, in particular retinol, may lead to at least a 17% lower risk of squamous cell cancer. Higher vitamin A intake largely from fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk of SCC, and there are available over-the-counter supplements as well. The advised dose is around 10000 IU (one to two tablets depending on manufacturer) per day.

Lastly a quick word about sunscreen.

Not far away, in Nambour, two very powerful studies conducted by cancer epidemiologist Professor  Adele Green showed that daily sunscreen could lower the occurrence of squamous cell cancer by 60%, and the risk of melanoma by 50%. Powerful protection indeed.

So, slop on that sunscreen, and take your A & B3!

Microneedling works by creating a series of hundreds of microscopic channels into the dermis to stimulate the skin’s natural production of new collagen and elastin, helping skin to look and feel healthier. 30 minutes is all it takes for microneedling to create 3 million microchannels – this allows your body to regenerate fresh, new glowing skin.

Microneedling has been clinically shown to be effective for all skin types. To truly reach your skincare goals you can pair up this treatment with cosmeceutical creams. It is a win-win situation for people looking to improve the texture of their skin.

Microneedling is the best investment for treating anything from acne scarring to neck wrinkles! For the best results consult a doctor using a TGA approved microneedling device such as SkinPen® used at DermaSurg.

The good news is that almost all skin cancers, including melanoma, are curable if detected early.
Right now most of us are wanting to cover up and enter a season of hibernation. Unfortunately, skin cancers are not seasonal, and sometimes can grow quite rapidly while our attention is focused elsewhere.

So here are a few great reasons to consider getting your skin cancer check done while it is still cooler outside:
1. Your less tanned skin is easier to examine.
2. You are still exposed to the sun and may still develop skin damage.
3. Skin cancers may take months or even years to develop.
4. The earlier a skin cancer is discovered, the more treatment options are available.
5. It is easier to get an appointment in the cooler months.

Love the skin you’re in!

Phototherapy (light therapy) is a great option to consider for sun damage and to combat age changes.
Phototherapy uses nonthermal, non-invasive light to achieve a range of therapeutic outcomes. Modern advances have introduced light-emitting diodes (LED), which has led to clinical application for a variety of medical and cosmetic uses.

Phototherapy enhances and accelerates wound healing, decreases scar formation in surgical wounds, has demonstrated clinical benefit in the treatment of psoriasis and is an effective treatment in acne and rosacea. It is also a highly effective method to improve the cosmetic appearance of mild to severe sun-damaged, oily, blemished, and aged skin on all areas of the body.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combines phototherapy with a photosensitizer agent to be an effective
treatment for actinic keratosis, precancerous skin damage, and superficial skin cancers (both basal cell and squamous cell variants).

DermaSurg uses MediLUX LED phototherapy technology. This incorporates five different treatment wavelengths (blue, green, yellow, red and infrared) for a wide range of treatment objectives.

By using these injections to decrease the facial muscle actions responsible for lines and creases, the skin appears smoother and firmer. This decrease in muscle movement also prevents new lines from forming, provided patients receive ongoing treatments.

The injections work by blocking the nerve impulse signals between facial muscles and their relevant nerves. By softening the appearance of eye and forehead lines, anti-wrinkle injections can reverse a tired, stressed or anxious look, giving you a more relaxed, younger appearance.

Anti-wrinkle injections can also be used to lift and reshape the outer eyebrow and reduce the muscle bands in the neck. They are used to lift the jawline, rejuvenate the jaw,  and reduce teeth grinding.

If anti-wrinkle treatment injections are used to treat shallow lines, then these often disappear completely after a few treatments.

Anti-wrinkle injections are not just for those who already have lines and wrinkles. Indeed, by starting treatment early on, anti-wrinkle injections can delay and even prevent lines from setting in. Patients who receive ongoing treatments can maintain a more youthful appearance over the long term.

Treatment involves giving a series of localised injections directly into the muscles beneath the wrinkles. Each injection stings for a few seconds and in rare cases, some bruising and swelling will occur.

At DermaSurg Skin Clinic we decided to introduce Xeomin^® which is the most purified form of Botulinum toxin type A with the fewest reported adverse effects. So pure in fact, that even a celebrity like Gwyneth Paltrow chooses it!

Ask our skin experts about how anti-wrinkle injections may help you achieve your aesthetic goals.

1. Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3) can reduce the risk of developing skin cancer by 23 – 30% *
2. Regular sunscreen use reduces your risk to develop a melanoma, especially when used every day **
3. A 10-year study in Queensland found that sunscreen is safe to use daily, and does not cause harmful conditions ***

*Starr P. (2015). Oral Nicotinamide Prevents Common Skin Cancers in High-Risk Patients, Reduces Costs. American health & drug benefits, 8(Spec Issue), 13-4.

**Green AC, Williams GM, Logan V, Strutton GM. Reduced melanoma after regular sunscreen use: randomized trial follow-up. J Clin Oncol 2011; 29(3):257-263.

***Green AC, Williams GM. Point: sunscreen use is a safe and effective approach to skin cancer prevention. Cancer Epidem Biomar Prev 2007; 16(10):1921-1922.