Sun exposure is often classified with other lifestyle choices that speed up aging like smoking, alcohol intake and stress. According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery:

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can cause premature skin aging, skin cancer and other conditions such as:

Skin texture changes, such as coarse wrinkles, especially on the back of the neck, and fine wrinkles caused by thinning of the skin, especially on the forearms and back of hands.
Excessive bruising from minor trauma.
Pigment changes, such as brown spots, freckles, “age spots” and “liver spots”.
White spots on legs, arms and the back of hands.
Red areas on the sides of the neck.
Moles, some of which can develop into skin cancer.
Pre-cancerous skin changes, including red scaly lesions called actinic keratosis and lesions on the lips called actinic cheilitis, both of which can develop into squamous cell carcinoma.

Sun exposure is the number one cause of premature aging. It’s estimated up to 80% of visible aging is caused by environmental damage. Sun exposure doesn’t just happen when your lounging on the beach. If you drive a car, sit near a window, or look at a cell phone – you are around harmful UVA, UVB and IR exposure that can damage your skin and lead to premature aging – and possibly skin cancer. Sun exposure occurs year-round, even when its cloudy or snowing outside. What’s even scarier, most over the counter sunscreens only protect you from UVB (burning rays) and give you no protection from UVA (aging rays) or IR (infrared) damage. Lucky for you, unlike the natural aging process, this is a part of getting older you have control of! Always look for a sunscreen with Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide to make sure you are getting all around protection. For added protection, try an oral supplement like Heliocare that can give to up to an extra SPF 8.