Preparing your skin for the sun
We have already welcomed the sun and the fine weather and they are both expected to stick around for the next few months, which we so look forward to all year round.
But this time of the year brings with it a risk which, as we all know, is not always taken as seriously as it should be. And that is overexposure to the sun.
Benefits of sunbathing
The sun is a vital element for human life and we know that there are a number of health benefits associated with moderate sun exposure for our skin and our bodies:
- Elevates vitamin D levels.
- Activates blood flow by dilating blood vessels.
- It has mood-lifting benefits, as it acts as a natural antidepressant.
Negative effects of sunlight
Continuous exposure to solar radiation without photoprotection has a direct effect on our skin, which can cause solar erythema, burns and also precancerous lesions. The sun can also cause dehydration and sunstroke, even some allergies, with pruritus or skin eruptions through sun exposure.
Why is exposure to solar radiation so dangerous?
It is only advisable to stay in the sun for 15 minutes, as overexposure can have extremely negative effects on our body. Let’s find out why.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is invisible to the human eye. It has a low level of penetration as it only reaches the surface of the skin and the eyes and accounts for only 5% of the total radiation, although this is enough for it to be harmful. It acts on the normal cellular structure and alters it, damaging DNA strands and affecting our proteins. This leads to greater cell death (ageing) and some cells acquire abnormal behaviours and functions (cancer).
The skin protects itself from the damage by producing more melanin, which accumulates in the outermost layers of the skin. This protein is what causes skin hyperpigmentation and makes our skin look tanned. But our eyes are not equipped with a protection mechanism.
The UV radiation spectrum can be divided into three types:
- UVA A: penetrate deeper into the skin, cause skin redness and increase skin pigmentation.
- UVA B: reach the epidermis. They cause sunburn or erythema and are a chief cause of cancers.
- UVA C: could be extremely harmful, but they are absorbed and filtered by the ozone layer.
But… we don’t all react in the same way to the sun, do we?
This is true. Exposure to sunlight does not affect everyone in the same way. This is why it is very important to identify your skin phototype (6 types).
There are also differences between adult and child skincare routines. And we should also bear in mind that hydration and elasticity reduces in older skin and its ability to regenerate decreases.
Prevention is key
The best treatment for avoiding the adverse effects of solar radiation on the skin is to prevent these adverse effects. We can do this in two ways:
- Protection: by using creams on a daily basis that contain a sun protection factor (SPF), which will protect us from the sun and prevent our skin from burning. But we also need to remember that every skin type has a Minimal Erythema Dose (MED), which is the lowest dose needed to produce persistent skin erythema over more than 24 hours.
- Prevention: the best thing to do is to prepare your skin for the sun in order to reduce the appearance of lesions or sun spots. There are various treatments that can prepare your skin so you can enjoy this season in the right way and in the healthy way and the season that is just around the corner…summer!
