Scientist shares the confronting truth about using sunscreen
A pharmaceutical scientist has shared the confronting truth about what happens to your skin over time if you don’t apply sunscreen past the face.
Hannah English shared the eye-opening reality of a 92-year-old woman with serious sun damage on her neck after she used UV protective moisturisers exclusively on her face for 40 years.
The photographs of the elderly woman show her neck noticeably covered in wrinkles, sunspots and discoloration, while her face appeared flawless with hardly any damage.
Hannah shared the photos as a warning to start wearing SPF everywhere that is exposed to the sun, including the easy-to-miss neck area.
“It’s not too late to start wearing SPF daily,” Hannah said on Instagram.
“Don’t forget your neck and chest. And probably hands.”
“This is a real photo of a real person who used sunscreen on the face but not the neck for 40 years or more,” Hannah went on.
“Do you see the difference?”
Hannah said she believed the woman only started applying sunscreen on her face 40 years ago.
“She was in her 50s so there’s plenty of time for you to start wearing sunscreen every day,” she said.
Doctor Avi Bitterman, a dermatologist from New York, originally shared the photograph on social media to show the consequences of not using sunscreen on the commonly-neglected area.
“Cheek and neck of a 92-year-old female, who used UV-protective moisturisers on her face but not on the neck for more than 40 years,” Dr Bitterman said on Twitter.
The picture was published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology to show the benefits of daily thorough UV protection.
Image credits: Instagram