Show Sun Respect!
by Lynne and Sarah Dark of Zest Health & Beauty
As far as skin is concerned, there is no such thing a healthy tan! A tan is your body’s response to ultraviolet light and to skin injury. Tanning is the skin struggling very hard to protect itself against any further damage!
The greatest cause of skin damage and premature wrinkling is being caught unprotected during incidental sun exposure - walking to your car, walking the dog, driving in your car or sitting by a window. Yes, the sun penetrates through the glass.
Sun exposure damages skin in many ways. It first attacks the epidermis (the thin outer layer) then damages the upper layers of the dermis (the largest deeper layer) leaving them thinner, less resilient and more susceptible to wrinkling. Over time, the collagen and elastin fibres break down, causing gradual drooping & sagging. The skin has rough texture, dark spots that increase in size, broken blood vessels, loss of tone and elasticity and, of course, skin cancer risks are ever increasing, not to mention the inevitable wrinkling.
At least 80% of what we consider normal skin aging is really sun damage. If your skin was never exposed to the sun, you would get very few wrinkles. |
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If you look at skin that rarely sees the sun you will notice the difference!
Forget about focusing on getting a tan and try and prevent sun damage by using a sun block or sunscreen every day, minimum Factor 15, higher preferably. Damaging rays occur not only sunbathing on the beach but also on cloudy days and on the slopes whilst skiing (snow reflects 85% of sun’s rays) and the thinned ozone layer means it is even more intense.
Make sure that your sunscreen has wide spectrum protection - UVA & UVB. UVB are the short-wave, burning rays and UVA are intense long-wave rays that penetrate the deeper skin layers (even through windows & loose-knit clothing) and cause the most long-term damage.
UV A are the only type emitted from sun beds and are the most damaging form of ultra-violet. I would therefore not recommend their use if you care for your skins long term health. As few as four visits to the sun bed could quadruple your likelihood of getting skin cancer, such as melanoma. The Langerhan cells, part of our body’s defence system against viruses, bacteria & precancerous cells, are destroyed by the sun.
~ Apply sunscreen at least 20 minutes before sun exposure.
~ Use enough, don’t stint on it or you will reduce the protection.
~ Reapply frequently, even if it says it’s waterproof or long lasting.
~ Don’t lie out in the sun for long periods, even with sunscreen
~ Throw away sunscreen after one year as its effectiveness is reduced
~ Wear hats and close knit clothes in sun; thin cotton T-shirts only block 50% - 30% if wet!
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