The Sun and Your Skin
The most common stressors that your skin faces on a daily basis is the sun. You might love the feel of the warm sun on your skin or the look of a bronze summer tan, but the truth is, the sun is damaging your skin both on the surface and deep within its layers. In recent years, research has discovered that the sun’s UV light is the primary cause of wrinkles, aging, pigmentation and melanoma, which can lead to skin cancer.
The radiation that reaches the earth’s surface consists of two types of rays, UVA and UVB. It’s important to protect your skin from both. UVB rays are what causes sunburn, but UVA light passes deeper into the skin, causing damage to collagen, your skin’s DNA and skin cancer. 95% of the sun’s light is UVA.
UVB rays are only about 4-5% of the sun’s light and can reflect off of shiny surfaces. They’re 1,000 stronger than UVA rays and can cause redness, itching, sunburns, cataracts and more. UVB rays can damage the skin’s DNA, leading to benign and malignant tumors and skin cancer. Long-term exposure to both UVA and UVB rays can affect the dermal layer of the skin. And because your skin is a living tissue, the damage can be permanent and visibly obvious. It can appear rough and hyper-pigmented, cause damage to deep nodular blackheads and cysts, damage blood vessels and more. It’s important to protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays with a broad-spectrum protection so that it’s not vulnerable to UVA and UVB rays.
To protect yourself, sunscreen on a daily basis is a must. Even if it’s cloudy, it’s important to use sunscreen. A wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses are also important to protect your face from the sun. When you’re out in the sun, it’s important to re-apply sunscreen every two hours. Look for formulas on physical sunscreen (ingredients such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) and stay away from chemical sunscreen. Physical sunscreens create a barrier on the skin that filter out UV rays while chemical sunscreens absorb and scatter the sun’s harsh UV rays. Physical sunscreens work by staying on top of the skin to deflect and scatter damaging UV rays away from the skin.
For a complete skin consultation and analysis of sun damage, make an appointment with one of Beauty Journey’s expert estheticians by schedule online appointment or contact beautyjourney@gmail.com if you need further information.
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"Information is courtesy of www.thebeautyjourney.com, a website with skin care tips, products, treatments and advice from skin care expert and licensed esthetician, Kristina Trinh."