We lust to feel the warmth of summer, and have the look of glowing skin all year round. Plain and simple it makes us feel incredible. So ladies the truth is we are only hurting ourselves with excuse on why we choose not to protect our skin daily from the ever powerful rays of SUN. We are causing our skin to age prematurely, and the damage done from unprotected skin is troublesome to reverse, in some cases uneconomical.
UVA, UVB, and UVC How They Effect Us.
Ultra Violet (UV) is broken up into 3 divided categories, therefore the radiation is types A, B, and C all causing different effects to our bodies. UVA and UVB are the two rays from our sun that are harmful with prolonged sun exposure this entails sun bathing in a tanning booth. The sun emits radiation through the bands of UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC, does not penetrate the earth's ozone layer, and can not cause skin cancer. UVC has a germicidal effect that is used to purify air and water. Unintended prolonged exposure to UVC may cause skin redness and eye irritations.
However, UVA and UVB act individually upon reaching our skin. UVA holds a longer ray length that can reach the dermal layer of your skin, which is the layer under the epidermis. Sagging skin, loss of elasticity, darker sun spots are mostly caused by the UVA rays. UVB rays reach the epidermis or outer layer of skin, this is the main cause of sunburns. Melanin keeps excess ultra violet rays from causing our skin to burn, over exposure will cause our body to produce more melanin, causing tan or change of skin color. Too much sun is dangerous to the skin is causes the genetic make up of our cells to be altered, and then may lead to skin cancer. UVA rays effect Keratinocytes originated in the basal layer of the epidermis. This can contribute to or begin the cycle of skin cancers, such as basal or Squamous cell carcinoma.
UVA rays also can create a tan appearance as the UVA rays can affect the skin's DNA. The skin then darkens in an attempt to slow damage. Always keep in mind these UV rays are strongest between the hours of 10-2 daily.
Sunscreen vs. Sunblock
Both sunscreens and sunblocks come in various forms gels, spray gels, lotion, cream, you can even find a form of SPF in your bug spray. All sunblocks embody a sun protection factor (SPF). The SPF determines how long the block will remain effective on the skin. For instance, if you normally develop sunburn in 10 minutes without wearing a sunscreen, then a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will protect you for 150 minutes (10 minutes multiplied by the SPF of 15). Sunscreen defends your skin by the chemicals that is contains. These chemicals protect by absorbing and reflecting UV rays. Sunscreens do allow a certain range of light into your skin, leading into change of skin color. Sunscreens do not always protect against the UVA rays. Depending on the quality of the sunscreen, and your activity when wearing it, you should be prepared to lather yourself and you family at least every two hours.
Sunblock contains physical or inorganic ingredients that reflect and scatter UV light. Sunblock acts as a wall between your skin and the sun. Titanium Dioxide and Zinc are paramount ingrediants in a physical sunblock and the pair are the closet to a broad spectrum. Sunblocks are safe to use on babies, and they do not have to be reapplied as often as a chemical sunscreen.
FDA Four Star System
As you read this article the food and drug administration (FDA) aim to upgrade sunscreen labeling. The FDA wants to add more information to labeling to tell more about protection against the sun's harmful rays. The FDA has proposed a 1-4 star rating system; this will inform consumers how much protection you are actually receiving from that bottle. If new regulation is passed, the star system will prominently be placed near the SPF factor. Including in the proposed regulation is increasing the SPF 30+ to 50+ on all sunblocks.
Love Sun, Protect You!
Helpful advice I share with my clients that utterly refuse to wear SPF, go out in the sun for 15 minutes without block, capture a dash of color then apply your desired block. Besides the main 3 forms of cancer, the cosmetic ramifications the sun can have on our skin are gargantuan. Repeated episodes of sunburn, although they appear to heal on the surface, can lead to permanent skin damage over time.
Unprotected skin exposed to the sun can gradually lose essential oils, making it dry, flaky and prematurely wrinkled. The significant changes we see over time are wrinkles, melasma, uneven skin tones, broken blood vessels, dehydrated, and blackheads to name a few. Endure the warmth of the sun, enjoy your time at the beach on the slopes or on vacations and take that extra step to keep your skin youthful and healthy all year round!
