By Mary Hayse, Licensed Esthetician
With the summer sunshine upon us, it’s important to have another reminder of how important it is to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun. The best way to protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, short of staying in a closed up house, is sunscreen — even in winter months. A broad spectrum sunscreen will protect against both UVA and UVB rays. UVA is the longer wavelength that causes skin aging, skin damage, and skin cancer. UVB is the shorter, more intense wavelength that also causes skin aging, skin damage, and skin cancer, but is also responsible for sunburns.
Dangers of Sun Exposure
How many times have you said or heard, “I look healthier with a tan?” The truth is, a tan is not a sign of health, it is the exact opposite, it is nature’s way of protecting your body from damage. When the skin is overexposed to the sun’s rays, the cells begin to thicken and extra melanin is produced to stop UV rays from penetrating through to the deeper layers and damaging the DNA of the cells, that’s why your skin develops a tan. While your body has an amazing ability to repair itself, getting burned or tanned time after time will take its toll.
The cosmetic consequences are lines and wrinkles and sagging skin due to the breakdown of collagen; broken capillaries due to the dilation of blood vessels; and hyperpigmentation when an excess of melanin forms deposits in the skin, or hypopigmentation when there is skin trauma and tiny scars form on the skin.
The most serious consequence is skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 3.5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 76,600 cases of skin cancer in 2013. The one preventable risk factor for skin cancers is overexposure to the sun.
Difference between physical and chemical sunblocks Physical sunscreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking the sun’s rays. The ingredients found in physical sunscreens are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun’s rays. Some of the more common ingredients are benzones, aminobenzoic acid, and cinnamates. I prefer the physical blocks over the chemical sunscreens because there is generally less irritation from physical blocks and they are non comedogenic. The downside is that they can be a bit chalky looking on the skin, but the formulations are better now and some are tinted, which eliminates the chalky look.
How much is enough? The general recommendation is that you should wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. I recommend that people wear at least an SPF of 30 or higher, and even more when they are going to be in direct sun for longer periods of time. My personal experience is that when I wear a zinc oxide and titanium dioxide SPF 58 sunblock, and reapply it every two hours, I have no reaction from the sun, which is not always true with an SPF 15.
What else can you do to protect yourself? The other ways to avoid sun damage are wearing protective clothing, wide brimmed hats, sitting under an umbrella or a tree, avoiding the hottest parts of the day, and wearing sunglasses to help in the prevention of cataracts.
Whatever you do, please do not believe that tanning beds will protect you from sunburn. You will get more UVA damage in a tanning bed than from direct sunlight. Recent studies have shown that the risk of melanoma is 75 percent higher in people who have been exposed to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning. If you want to prevent a sunburn, use sunblock.
What to do about past damage Seeing a skin care professional on a regular basis can clear up past damage and through education and the right products and treatments help prevent future damage. At Infuse Skin and Body, we offer many different types of exfoliations, including Microdermabrasion, HydraFacials, and chemical exfoliations, along with LED, Ultrasonic and Microcurrent treatments, all designed to correct skin damage.
Infuse Skin and Body carries many different products designed to protect you from the sun’s damaging rays. Set up a consultation with Mary Hayse to determine what products and treatments are best for your specific skin type. Call 309-360-9035 to set up an appointment today, or visit www.infuseskinandbody.com.
Photo credit: PeopleImages/iStock