Latest news with #TobyNelson
The Irish Sun
24-07-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
I'm 46 & I've never worn sun cream – my real ‘skin age' left me devastated, I loathe my wrinkles & feel like an idiot
MY name is Clare and I've never worn sun cream. There, I've said it. While it might not sound like a huge confession, as a 46-year-old woman who loathes her lines and wrinkles, I now wonder how many of them are down to my lack of SPF. 10 Clare O'Reilly, aged 46, has never worn sun cream Credit: Supplied 10 Clare went to dermatologist Dr Toby Nelson to get her face scanned and determine the skin damage she has from not wearing SPF Credit: Supplied 10 She was shocked to find out her skin age is SEVEN years older than her biological age Credit: Supplied From frying myself as a teen in Portugal, to sizzling in Scarborough in the early Nineties, I admired my half-Portuguese skin as it turned a deep shade of olive, and maybe a little red, all without a scrap of UV protection. But now, finding out my skin age is SEVEN years older than my biological age is pretty devastating. Dermatologist Dr Toby Nelson, who scanned my face to determine the damage, breaks the news gently. 'The Visia skin scanner uses hi-tech cameras and UV light to take a deep look at the surface of your face, revealing hidden sun damage, wrinkles, inflammation and more,' he says. 'It gives you a 'skin age'. If your skin's in great shape, your age could come back younger than your actual age. 'But if you've not taken care of your skin, it might say you're older. In your case, Clare, it's seven years older.' The UK sun protection market generated more than £300million last year, but I've never bought a sunscreen or lotion for myself. Growing up in the Eighties, my parents never put any on me either. Now well into my forties, my The creases around my eyes feel more noticeable than those of friends the same age and I have dark spots on my cheeks. While the scanner can't determine any skin cancer risk, I'm all too aware that statistics for I'm a dermatologist - here's the 5 things to do in your 30s to slow ageing More than 17,500 people are diagnosed with it every year. That's 48 people a day. Dr Nelson is part of the team at Wood MediSpa in leafy Okehampton, Devon, and while the scan of my skin, which costs £250, takes just seconds, the results will stay with me a lifetime. I look at Dr Nelson for reassurance and am greeted with a shrug. He says it is utterly unsurprising that my skin age is 53. 'Your skin analysis is consistent with someone who likely didn't use sunscreen regularly throughout childhood and early adulthood,' he explains. Still reeling 'As you're now in your forties, we're seeing signs of sun damage, specifically sun spots, called solar lentigines, fine lines and some texture changes. 'People who haven't consistently used SPF tend to show signs of sun damage much earlier.' I smile meekly, wondering just how young my skin would look had I slapped on a bit of SPF over the years, and neglect to mention my occasional use of tanning beds. Given the fact I already feel like an idiot for not using sunscreen, I fear I may be laughed out of the clinic if I admit to grilling myself unsafely under lamps as a teen. While I'm still reeling from the results, Dr Nelson says it is not too late to reverse at least some of the damage. 'You can definitely stop things getting worse and, to some extent, improve the state of your skin right now,' he says hopefully. 'The most important step is starting sunscreen use, as it allows the skin to repair some existing damage. 'Other products offer marginal improvements. Antioxidants like vitamin C, niacinamide, vitamin B3, and other serums can help, but they don't compare to sunscreen in terms of effectiveness. 'You can also monitor the UV index, which is available on most weather apps. 'People often overlook it in favour of the temperature or sunshine forecast. But if the UV index is three or above, you should wear sunscreen.' My 14-year-old daughter Annie is a UV-checking addict, so I leave Dr Nelson's clinic — feeling chastened and foolish — with some leaflets about laser treatment, which he says could help smooth my leathery skin. And yes, I stop and buy a bottle of SPF 50 on the way home. 10 Clare tested the Visia skin scanner which uses hi-tech cameras and UV light to take a deep look at the surface of the face Credit: Supplied WHAT CLARE'S TEST RESULTS SHOW DR NELSON says: 'Clare's skin age is seven years older than her biological age, which is expected, given the fact she has never worn sunscreen. 'Scores below 50 per cent suggest Clare's skin condition is a lot worse than average for her age. Her scan suggests areas for improvement, especially in texture, pores and redness, while UV damage is less concerning. 'That said, it has placed her skin age above her biological age primarily due to the increased brown pigmentation manifesting as solar lentigines [liver spots] and melasma [darkened skin].' He explains the results, below. . . SPOTS: 41.53% 10 Clare has darker brown or red spots, including freckles and acne scars Credit: Supplied 'CLARE has darker brown or red spots, including freckles, acne scars and hyperpigmentation. "The score reflects how your skin compares to others of the same age and gender. Higher is better.' WRINKLES: 27.12% 10 She has more visible wrinkles compared to her peers Credit: Supplied 'I CAN see both fine lines and deeper wrinkles. Her lower percentage indicates that she has more visible wrinkles compared to her peers.' TEXTURE: 12.47% 10 Clare has irregularities in her skin texture due to sun damage Credit: Supplied 'YELLOW highlights show uneven texture. Clare's skin isn't particularly smooth and even. Her lower score may indicate more irregularities due to sun damage.' UV SPOTS: 75.93% 10 Clare has damage under the skin caused by sun exposure Credit: Supplied 'The damage under the skin caused by sun exposure is not as much as I might expect given Clare's never worn sunscreen. A higher score indicates less UV damage.' BROWN SPOTS: 24.84 % 10 Clare's pigmentation might be due to aging, sun damage or hormone Credit: Supplied 'THE pigmentation might be due to aging, sun damage or hormones. "The yellow dots indicate melanin concentration and her lower score indicates more brown spots.' RED AREAS: 18.97% 10 Clare has redness, a sign of skin damage Credit: Supplied 'RED areas show inflammation, sensitivity or acne. 'Clare's lower score means more redness is present, which is a sign of skin damage.' HOW TO STAY SAFE IN THE SUN DR NELSON shares his advice on how to protect your skin . . . RAMP UP THE SPF: The British Association of Dermatologists generally recommends using SPF 30 or higher, but I advise patients to use SPF 50, as the SPF number is based on lab testing, not real-world conditions. DON'T BE MEAN: One common issue is applying too little sunscreen. The recommended amount is about one tablespoon for the face and neck. Many modern sunscreens come in mists, sprays or roll-ons, which can make it difficult to know if you've used enough. APPLY REGULARLY: Regardless of format, sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours and especially after swimming or towelling off, even if the label says 'water resistant'. LAYER UP: Protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats and seeking shade, especially during peak sun hours, are all essential. Peaked caps, for instance, do little to protect the central face. A good rule of thumb: If your face isn't in shadow when you wear your hat and look in the mirror, the hat probably isn't offering much protection. SLIP, SLAP AND SLOP: Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on sunscreen. It's a simple but effective message taught to children in many sun-exposed countries.
Scottish Sun
24-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I'm 46 & I've never worn sun cream – my real ‘skin age' left me devastated, I loathe my wrinkles & feel like an idiot
Dermatologist Dr Toby Nelson shares his five tips on how to protect your skin this summer and reveals it's not too late for Clare to reverse at least some of the sun damage SUN SCREAM I'm 46 & I've never worn sun cream – my real 'skin age' left me devastated, I loathe my wrinkles & feel like an idiot MY name is Clare and I've never worn sun cream. There, I've said it. While it might not sound like a huge confession, as a 46-year-old woman who loathes her lines and wrinkles, I now wonder how many of them are down to my lack of SPF. 10 Clare O'Reilly, aged 46, has never worn sun cream Credit: Supplied 10 Clare went to dermatologist Dr Toby Nelson to get her face scanned and determine the skin damage she has from not wearing SPF Credit: Supplied 10 She was shocked to find out her skin age is SEVEN years older than her biological age Credit: Supplied From frying myself as a teen in Portugal, to sizzling in Scarborough in the early Nineties, I admired my half-Portuguese skin as it turned a deep shade of olive, and maybe a little red, all without a scrap of UV protection. But now, finding out my skin age is SEVEN years older than my biological age is pretty devastating. Dermatologist Dr Toby Nelson, who scanned my face to determine the damage, breaks the news gently. 'The Visia skin scanner uses hi-tech cameras and UV light to take a deep look at the surface of your face, revealing hidden sun damage, wrinkles, inflammation and more,' he says. 'It gives you a 'skin age'. If your skin's in great shape, your age could come back younger than your actual age. 'But if you've not taken care of your skin, it might say you're older. In your case, Clare, it's seven years older.' The UK sun protection market generated more than £300million last year, but I've never bought a sunscreen or lotion for myself. Growing up in the Eighties, my parents never put any on me either. Now well into my forties, my lines and wrinkles are becoming more obvious. The creases around my eyes feel more noticeable than those of friends the same age and I have dark spots on my cheeks. While the scanner can't determine any skin cancer risk, I'm all too aware that statistics for melanoma, the type of skin cancer common in those who've experienced sun exposure, are on the rise. I'm a dermatologist - here's the 5 things to do in your 30s to slow ageing More than 17,500 people are diagnosed with it every year. That's 48 people a day. Dr Nelson is part of the team at Wood MediSpa in leafy Okehampton, Devon, and while the scan of my skin, which costs £250, takes just seconds, the results will stay with me a lifetime. I look at Dr Nelson for reassurance and am greeted with a shrug. He says it is utterly unsurprising that my skin age is 53. 'Your skin analysis is consistent with someone who likely didn't use sunscreen regularly throughout childhood and early adulthood,' he explains. Still reeling 'As you're now in your forties, we're seeing signs of sun damage, specifically sun spots, called solar lentigines, fine lines and some texture changes. 'People who haven't consistently used SPF tend to show signs of sun damage much earlier.' I smile meekly, wondering just how young my skin would look had I slapped on a bit of SPF over the years, and neglect to mention my occasional use of tanning beds. Given the fact I already feel like an idiot for not using sunscreen, I fear I may be laughed out of the clinic if I admit to grilling myself unsafely under lamps as a teen. While I'm still reeling from the results, Dr Nelson says it is not too late to reverse at least some of the damage. 'You can definitely stop things getting worse and, to some extent, improve the state of your skin right now,' he says hopefully. 'The most important step is starting sunscreen use, as it allows the skin to repair some existing damage. 'Other products offer marginal improvements. Antioxidants like vitamin C, niacinamide, vitamin B3, and other serums can help, but they don't compare to sunscreen in terms of effectiveness. 'You can also monitor the UV index, which is available on most weather apps. 'People often overlook it in favour of the temperature or sunshine forecast. But if the UV index is three or above, you should wear sunscreen.' My 14-year-old daughter Annie is a UV-checking addict, so I leave Dr Nelson's clinic — feeling chastened and foolish — with some leaflets about laser treatment, which he says could help smooth my leathery skin. And yes, I stop and buy a bottle of SPF 50 on the way home. 10 Clare tested the Visia skin scanner which uses hi-tech cameras and UV light to take a deep look at the surface of the face Credit: Supplied WHAT CLARE'S TEST RESULTS SHOW DR NELSON says: 'Clare's skin age is seven years older than her biological age, which is expected, given the fact she has never worn sunscreen. 'Scores below 50 per cent suggest Clare's skin condition is a lot worse than average for her age. Her scan suggests areas for improvement, especially in texture, pores and redness, while UV damage is less concerning. 'That said, it has placed her skin age above her biological age primarily due to the increased brown pigmentation manifesting as solar lentigines [liver spots] and melasma [darkened skin].' He explains the results, below. . . SPOTS: 41.53% 10 Clare has darker brown or red spots, including freckles and acne scars Credit: Supplied 'CLARE has darker brown or red spots, including freckles, acne scars and hyperpigmentation. "The score reflects how your skin compares to others of the same age and gender. Higher is better.' WRINKLES: 27.12% 10 She has more visible wrinkles compared to her peers Credit: Supplied 'I CAN see both fine lines and deeper wrinkles. Her lower percentage indicates that she has more visible wrinkles compared to her peers.' TEXTURE: 12.47% 10 Clare has irregularities in her skin texture due to sun damage Credit: Supplied 'YELLOW highlights show uneven texture. Clare's skin isn't particularly smooth and even. Her lower score may indicate more irregularities due to sun damage.' UV SPOTS: 75.93% 10 Clare has damage under the skin caused by sun exposure Credit: Supplied 'The damage under the skin caused by sun exposure is not as much as I might expect given Clare's never worn sunscreen. A higher score indicates less UV damage.' BROWN SPOTS: 24.84 % 10 Clare's pigmentation might be due to aging, sun damage or hormone Credit: Supplied 'THE pigmentation might be due to aging, sun damage or hormones. "The yellow dots indicate melanin concentration and her lower score indicates more brown spots.' RED AREAS: 18.97% 10 Clare has redness, a sign of skin damage Credit: Supplied 'RED areas show inflammation, sensitivity or acne. 'Clare's lower score means more redness is present, which is a sign of skin damage.'
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New app and lens trial 'cuts skin cancer referrals by 50%'
A small lens which can be used by patients to help detect skin cancer has cut hospital referrals by 50% in a trial being run by a number of GPs, according to a dermatologist consultant. Map My Mole is being piloted in three NHS surgeries in Devon and Cornwall and has been used to review more than 1,500 moles and lesions since March 2024. Patients can be sent a lens which they use on their mobile phone to photograph a mole or lesion. Photos are then uploaded on to an app to allow consultants to quickly review cases any GP is unsure about, with patients getting results in a matter of Toby Nelson said the project had also freed up time for consultants to see other patients. In the app, patients are asked a number of questions about their skin health and any mole or lesion of concern. This information, along with the photos, are then uploaded to the app allowing for a swift review by their GP. Dr Nelson said: "We have reduced the onward referral from a GP to a hospital by over 50% across those three sites. "Prior to this, the GP would spend around 15 minutes of their time with a patient. Now it takes two or four minutes to review the mole online." The three GP practices involved in the trial are:Friary House, PlymouthRuby Country Medical Group - Stratton surgeryRuby Country Medical Group - Holsworthy surgery Patients who contact a participating surgery about a mole or lesion are given the choice of receiving a lens by post and uploading the photographs themselves, or they can come into the GP practice where an assistant will do it for Victor D'Ambrogio, a GP at Stratton Surgery near Bude said: "We don't need to be offering 15 minute appointments, and it's reduced the referral rate. "In the 10 months we have been running it, we've seen approximately 400 patients."Out of those, around 10% have been referred on... previously [it] would have been a lot more." Dee Noakes, 84 of Stratton, Bude, contacted her surgery about a facial said: "I had this crusty mole on the side of my nose. "I came into the surgery and saw a GP assistant who took photos of it. "My doctor called me the next day to say he was concerned and, within a week, I was at the dermatology department at North Devon District Hospital." Since the development of the Map My Mole app in September 2023, it has been adopted by 915 private clinics around the UK.A team of five consultants has since reviewed more than 5,000 lesions on the app.A lot of dermatology centres around the UK, especially in the south-west of England, were becoming skin lesion services where a lot of their time was spent reviewing patients who had been referred on the skin cancer pathway, according to Dr Nelson. He said the vast majority of these patients did not have skin cancer and, if they were able to reduce demand on those services, it would free up time for consultants to see other patients with conditions such as eczema, acne and said: "Patients with other skin conditions may find themselves waiting between six to 18 months, depending on where they are in the UK, before they get that initial dermatology appointment."Dr Nelson said the app projected the expertise of consultants upstream into primary care to support GPs all within one aligns with the NHS plan to keep care closer to home, reduce hospital attendances and has the potential to free up tens of thousands of GP and hospital Nelson said he hoped the trial would encourage the NHS to commission the use of the app on a wider basis.
