PhotoageingPhotoaging
Skin ageing driven by UV exposure rather than time alone.
Photoageing is the premature ageing of skin — wrinkles, rough texture, uneven pigmentation and loss of elasticity — caused by cumulative ultraviolet (UV) exposure, as distinct from the intrinsic ageing that comes with time.
It matters because it is largely preventable: a randomised trial found that regular daily sunscreen use meaningfully slowed visible skin ageing over several years, which makes sun protection the highest-evidence 'anti-ageing' step.
In practice, the levers are daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, avoiding deliberate UV (sunbeds included), and — for treatment — topical retinoids, which have trial support for improving established photo-ageing.
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Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
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