Sunlight is a major cause of wrinkles, dryness, and age spots. Your skin does
change with age. For instance, you sweat less which leads to increased dryness.
Aging skin becomes thinner and loses fat, so it looks less plump and smooth.
Underlying structures, veins and bones in particular, become more prominent.
Your skin can also take longer to recover when injured.

These changes can be drastically delayed by staying out of the sun. Although
nothing can totally undo sun damage, the skin sometimes can restore itself.
So, it's never too late to protect yourself from the harmful results of the
sun.

(Here's where you can find more detailed information on skin care and stretchmarks.)

5 Ways to Slow the Aging Process:

1. Wear protective clothing. A hat with a wide brim shades your neck, ears,
eyes, and head. Look for sunglasses with a label saying the glasses block
99 to 100 percent of the sun's rays. Wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved
shirts and long pants or long skirts when in the sun.

2. Check your skin often. Look for changes in the size, shape, color, or
feel of birthmarks, moles, and spots. If you find any changes that worry you,
see a doctor. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that older, fair-skinned
people have a yearly skin check by a doctor as part of a regular physical
exam.

3. Avoid artificial tanning. Don't use sunlamps and tanning beds, as well
as tanning pills and tanning makeup. Tanning pills have a color additive that
turns your skin orange after you take them. The FDA has approved this color
additive for coloring foods but not for tanning the skin. The large amount
of color additive in tanning pills may be harmful. Tanning make-up products
are not suntan lotions and will not protect your skin from the sun.

4. Use sunscreen. Sunscreens are rated in strength according to a sun protection
factor (SPF), which ranges from 2 to 30 or higher. A higher number means longer
protection. Buy products with an SPF number of 15 or higher. Also look for
products whose label says: broad spectrum (meaning they protect against both
types of harmful sun rays(UVA and UVB) and water resistant (meaning they stay
on your skin longer, even if you get wet or sweat a lot). Remember to reapply
the lotion as needed.

5. Stay out of the sun. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. This is
when the sun's UV rays are strongest. Don't be fooled by cloudy skies. Harmful
rays pass through clouds. UV radiation also can pass through water, so don't
assume you're safe if you're in the water and feeling cool.

(Here's where you can find more detailed information on skin care and stretch
mark remover.)