Key targets and pathways in skin photoaging: a comprehensive review

iiMedia Research shows China’s sun protection market reached 14.8 billion yuan in 2023 and is expected to hit 22.4 billion yuan by 2028, reflecting growing demand for photoaging solutions. Unlike traditional studies focusing only on UV, this review expands to visible light and infrared—both proven to cause skin aging—and further unpacks the skin damage of different wavelengths, while summarizing the mechanisms of photoaging: oxidative stress; senescence-associated secretory phenotype; DNA damage; thermage; autophagy; circadian rhythm of photoaged skin; transcriptome and frequency changes of different cell type populations in photoaged skin.

To address these, three strategies are proposed: 1) Broad-spectrum defense: Extend protection beyond UV to cover visible light and infrared; 2) Personalized photoprotection: Customize sunscreen spectra (light skin needs stronger UV protection, dark skin focuses on UVA/visible light for pigmentation); 3)Integrated care model: Adopt a comprehensive "Prevention-Defense-Repair" approach, which includes building antioxidant reserves, reinforcing the skin's physical barrier, and actively repairing DNA damage and inflammation.

Preventing photoaging requires moving beyond one-size-fits-all UV protection to embrace personalized, comprehensive strategies, particularly in high photoaging areas and scenarios.