A hot sunny day certainly brightens the mood! Exposure to sunlight is also good to give your body the very essential vitamin D which is necessary for healthy bones and muscles. But while sunbathing you must always remember that over exposure or regular exposure for long periods can prove harmful to the skin. It can cause sun burns and in some cases can result in skin cancer as well. Actually when exposed for longer durations, like at the beach and sunbathing at t he pool, the UV rays start damaging the skin protein (elastin and melanin). Loss of these, first results in discoloration of the skin (sun tan) followed by sagging, dull and lose skin. While one is young, the skin cells regenerate at a quicker pace and thus the signs of sun damage might not be visible. But with time these signs start manifesting as dark spots and wrinkles. So the skin needs to be protected against this damage, irrespective of age.
Skin and sun damage
It is not always possible to avoid exposure to sunlight. Thus, safeguarding the skin against the damage of the sun extremely important. When the UV rays of the sun reach and interact with the skin, some free radicals are formed. These radicals lead to destruction of important skin proteins and thus cause skin damage. The damage to the skin due to aging also results from the reaction of these radicals. Vitamin C helps boost the skin’snatural defenses and also acts as an effective antioxidant to help block the action of the damaging free radicals casued by the Ultraviolet radiation. It also enhances the production of collagen which Helps keep the skin looking full and youthful.
Protecting the skin
As from above, vitamin C should form an essential part of one’s diet to ensure complete protection against the damaging effect of the sun. Fruits and green vegetables are a rich source of vitamin C. Vitamin C in the form of lotions, sun guards, night creams or as a component of any other cosmetic products would also be equally effective in promoting healthy skin with a radiant look (like the Obagi C Rx starter set for normal to dry skin). Such cosmetic products which compliment to the skins need of these essential nutrients have been found to be safe and also give instant and long term results. Such products are generally used after cleaning the facial skin thoroughly with some cleansing lotion or gel. This enhances the absorption and benefits obtained from the product used thereafter.
Many varieties of sunscreen lotions and sun blockss are available in the market which effectively shields the skin against harmful UV radiations. The sun protection factor or SPF value of these range from 10 to 45 and higher and so varies their purpose and duration of use. These creams find important place in daily skin care regime. Also one must try to cover up the area most exposed like face and hair by using umbrellas or hats, arms by wearing appropriate hand gloves and eyes by using good quality sunglasses.
Naomi Andrews is an esthetician from Hawaii. She has had the opportunity to use various sun care products and anti aging skin care products of known brands like Obagi, Lierac, La RochePosay and many others.
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Article: Naturally Protecting Your Skin Against Sun Damage Author: Naomi Andrews Publication Date: 2010-09-18 Total Views: 101 Word Count: 544 Category:Home /
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