Most Floridians are well aware that too much time in the sun can age your skin, but now researchers at Cleveland’s University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center have discovered that not getting enough sleep is also a cause of premature skin aging.
Principal investigator and dermatologist Elma Baron, MD, director of the Skin Study Center in Cleveland examined 60 pre-menopausal women aged 30 to 49, half of whom were identified as being poor sleepers.
The poor sleepers showed significantly more signs of skin aging including fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced elasticity than those who got adequate hours and quality of sleep.
Presented at the Investigative Dermatology Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland in May, the researchers reported that poor sleep is associated with a decrease in the skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure.
Based on this study, Dr. Baron recommends that sun worshipers who don’t sleep well should be especially careful about using skin moisturizers, sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, and wearing protective clothing to avoid poor sleep’s premature aging effects.