Ivonne OquendoEvening beauty classMay 20, 2014.Page 1The role of sun protection in premature agingSun protection has been around for many years. Sunscreen or Sunblock has a history dating back to World War II, when US Navy soldiers worked on the decks of aircraft carriers. During that time it became obvious that they needed skin protection to avoid burning their skin during long periods of time in the sun. In an attempt to find something to apply to the skin to protect it from the extremely strong South Pacific sun, scientists invented a red paraffin oil that appeared to be very effective in blocking or diminishing the effects of prolonged sun exposure. . This oil originates from petroleum. After a separation process and other processes, they arrived at a substance that served as a barrier to the sun's ultraviolet rays. After many years and once the war was over the formulation was refined and marketed but even before that, thousands of years before, it is said that jasmine oil was used by the ancient Egyptians. It is also believed that the ancient Greeks used olive oil to protect their skin. In popular medicine, the oil extracted from chestnuts has been used since the nineteenth century as sun protection. Sun exposure is necessary because it has a positive effect on vitamin D. It is said that exposing your bare skin to the sun for fifteen minutes a day is enough for your body to get the daily amount of vitamin D needed for health reasons. Sun exposure also has a positive effect on our mood, however, excessive sun exposure can damage the skin and increase the chances of skin cancer and premature aging. Lifelong exposure to the sun causes what is called photoagina... in the center of the paper... red, dramatic changes can be seen. Sagging and wrinkled skin, age spots, brown freckles, red areas, thinning of the dermis, loss of elasticity and skin cancer. These types of conditions require more specialized and expensive treatments to reduce the established signs of photoaging. In the treatment of extreme cases, deeper skin treatments are necessary. Laser resurfacing, chemical peels, and even plastic surgery can help treat or reduce these signs of advanced photoaging. Often they may even be necessary. These treatments are more invasive, cost a lot and require a long recovery period post procedure. I am convinced that applying sunscreen every day and starting to do so at a young age, along with following other recommendations from skin professionals such as estheticians and dermatologists, can actually save you money and help you look younger in the long term.