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From the desk of Dr. Leon Forrester Tcheupdjian, M.D.
An alarming example of sun damaged skin
There’s a photograph circulating throughout doctors offices everywhere, especially those of us doctors who particularly care about skin care, that’s quite alarming. The photo features the mug of a man named William Edward McElligot, and I have a feeling this photo will live in infamy in our offices for years to comesun-d.
McElligot’s job for nearly 30 years involved driving a truck around Chicago delivering milk to food stores during the high sun hours. The effects of those 30 years are overwhelmingly evident in his face today, at age 66. Take a look at his photo, featured here in this ABC news story.
As you can see, the left side of his face, the side facing the sun during all those milk deliveries for so many years, has aged about twice as much as it should have, thanks to the sun’s damaging rays.
What kind of damage can the sun have on our skin?
I’ve seen this before in my office. Left sides of faces, and left arms for that matter, are covered in what the public calls freckles. In my world, freckles don’t exist. They’re harmful sun spots that can lead to anti-aging of the skin and even skin cancer. By anti-aging, I’m talking about the things that we all fear when it comes to aging: wrinkles and loose skin.
My office is filled with fillers, lasers and radio frequency modalities that to treat these wrinkles and falling skin. But the good news for you, especially if you’re young and healthy, is that there are steps you can take to avoid all those wrinkles and loose skin remedies.
The answer is simple: sunscreen. I’ve heard the complaints from patient after patient who claims that sunscreen on the face dries out the skin too much. It’s too greasy. It gets in my eyes. Those are all ignorant excuses.
I have a facial sunscreen in my office called Solaris Day with moisturizer and green tea extract that I recommend my patients wear every day, sunny or cloudy, summer or winter. I’ve done too much research and seen too many patients to simply ignore the benefit of sunscreen. It’s just so important. I can’t stress it enough.
Before you go on to the next thing in your day, take one more hard look at Mr. McElligot. You could be next. Or you could keep your face and let it age gracefully with the help of an experienced professional like me. The choice is yours.
-Dr. Leon Forrester Tcheupdjian, M.D.
-Leslie Forrester, R.N.
-Liposuction and Cosmetic Surgery Insitute
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