Dr. Ivan Peev is a dermatologist at the “Aestheline” dermatology clinic. For the period 2011 – 2015, he was an assistant in the dermatology and venereology clinic at the Military Medical Academy, Sofia. His research interests are related to skin pigment disorders, treatment of vitiligo, dermatosurgery and psoriasis. Dr. Peev is a member of the Bulgarian Dermatology Society (BDD), the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), the International Association of Dermatoscopy (IDS) and the editorial team of the international Journal of Pigmentary Disorders.

The sun is necessary for life to exist

Although we are entering autumn, we should not underestimate the power of the sun’s rays. Along with the beneficial properties of the sun, such as synthesis of vitamin D, there are also a number of harms that it causes. For the first time at the beginning of the last century, the direct connection between the sun’s rays and the development of skin cancer was established.

Ultraviolet rays are biologically active. Penetrating into the surface layer of the skin, they are absorbed by melanin and generate free oxygen radicals, causing inflammation, burning of the skin and accelerated photoaging. Some of these rays carry a greater charge and directly damage the DNA of cells, leading to mutations. With subsequent exposure to the sun, the mutations accumulate. Together with the disturbed protective mechanisms of the skin, they are the main reason for the development of skin cancer. Therefore, we dermatologists insist that our patients protect themselves from sunburn.

The term “sun spots” covers a large group of skin formations that are provoked by ultraviolet rays. Here it is the place of the dermatologist to make the correct diagnosis and rule out life-threatening conditions such as melanoma or health-threatening basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.

The skin’s normal reaction to the sun’s rays is the increased production of skin pigment (melanin). In people prone to darkening, it leads to the formation of a tan. And in others, mainly with lighter skin, until the appearance of hyperpigmentation such as freckles, lentigo, solar keratoses, melasma, etc. However, genetic factors also play a role in underlying such skin changes. Very often the problem is hereditary.

Melasma is a pigmentation of the skin in which, in addition to this article.