Be sun savvy this summer
The sun is the most imporant source of energy for life on earth and it is a great reason to get outdoors and soak some up – in moderation that is…
We all want to have a memorable summer holiday filled with lots of fun in the sun, but without that red, hot and sensitive sunburnt look. One of the easiest ways for you to make the most of your time in the sun is to adapt your skin care for sun damage as it will help to prevent excessive and unsafe sun exposure for yourself and your loved ones.
Most sun damage is actually a direct result of exposure to sunlight (specifically UV-A and UV-B rays) during simple day-to-day activities such as driving and walking around outside. So imagine what your skin goes through when you are at the beach or having fun at a pool party…
Sadly, the visible effects of skin damage are cumulative, which means that the damage builds every day and as we age, the damage becomes more and more visible. That’s why protecting your skin should involve the combination of blocking out the damaging UV-rays and the replacement of skin essential nutrients, like vitamins, that are damaged by sunlight. Both UV-A and UV-B rays deplete vitamin A, which is responsible for the overall health and wellbeing of your skin.
Free Radicals and Antioxidants
Free radicals are unstable and destructive molecules. They react with other surrounding molecules which ultimately lead to skin damage. Damage by free radicals has been linked to premature ageing and wrinkling, as collagen and elastin are affected. The good news however is that excess free radicals can be inhibited by antioxidants. Antioxidants have been found to be effective at neutralising free radicals and slowing down their activity before any damage can be done.
What to do?
We should all ideally stay out of the midday sun as much as possible. However, when we are exposed, we must wear protective clothing and use effective sunscreens. At the same time, we must also enrich the skin with antioxidants and replace the essential vitamins A and C that are destroyed . By doing this, we can all live our lives beautifully, without our skins knowing it or showing it.
What should you look for in a sunscreen?
Sunscreen is one of the most progressive areas in skin care. Sun protection factor, or SPF is a confusing issue, because one might assume that the higher the SPF, the better. That isn’t actually the case as the higher the SPF, the higher the concentration of chemicals which do not necessarily offer significantly better sun protection.
The table below, based on scientific research, shows the percentage of UVB absorption by increasing SPF factors in a sunscreen
SPF Factor
%UVB Absorbed
1
50%
4
70%
8
87.5%
15
93.3%
30
96.7%
50
98%
