It’s that time of year when we tend to wear less and go out more. Spring is among us, and summer is just around the corner. With climate change taking effect, even the Northern Hemisphere, traditionally associated with rainy days, is becoming a haven for beach life.
While no one wants the adverse effects of climate change, we undeniably welcome the warmer climate and sunny skies. But what does this mean for our skin care and broader health?
This article explores the benefits and risks of greater sun exposure and explains the correct steps to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays without compromising your skin or fun.
It is very easy to underestimate the sun’s power, but it is a leading cause of skin ageing, so pay close attention because an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
First, let’s discuss how the sun’s rays interact with our environment and look at the benefits of healthy sun exposure.
What are sun rays?
Sun rays are streams of energy emitted from the sun that include a mix of electromagnetic radiation and light. The sun produces a wide spectrum of energy, taking different forms, each producing a different effect.
This includes both visible forms, like light, and invisible forms, like ultraviolet (UV), which can cause serious harm if you are exposed to large amounts. There are three types of UV rays:
- UVA – This has the longest wavelength, and is capable of penetrating the skin.
- UVB – A medium wavelength that causes sunburn to the skin and damages your DNA.
- UVC – This has the shortest wavelength and is the most dangerous. Fortunately, it is blocked completely from the ozone layer, although climate change is weakening Earth’s defences.
- Visible light – This is part of the spectrum of visible light that lets us to see colours like red, blue, and green. High doses, particularly of blue light, cause damage to the skin.
- Infrared rays – These are longer wavelengths of light that can be felt as heat. They can penetrate the skin, causing thermal damage and contributing to photoageing of the skin.
Benefits of healthy sun exposure
Healthy sun exposure triggers several healthy processes, including vitamin D synthesis, and keratinocyte growth.
Vitamin D, which behaves more like a hormone, is essential for the body. It plays a crucial role in bone health, mental health, skin repair, and immune function. Higher vitamin D levels are linked to lower cases of chronic disease like cancer, alzheimers, and diabetes, and it promotes longevity and healthspan.
The UK does not provide enough sunshine in the autumn and winter to trigger the release of vitamin D, so it is important to supplement in the colder months.
90% of the outer layer of your skin – the epidermis, is made up of keratinocytes, which produce a protective barrier to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays, environmental stresses, bacteria and viruses, and chemical exposure.
Keratinocytes are made from keratin, a tough protective protein that makes your skin waterproof and strong. Eating a diet high in keratins, which are obtained from colourful vegetables like carrots, red and yellow peppers, etc, really helps to protect your skin. More than this, eating high quantities can also impact your skin tone giving you a tanned appearance, somewhat negating the need to spend so much time exposed to the sun.
Keratinocyte growth is when your keratinocyte cells multiply, mature, and move up from the deeper layers of your skin to the outer layer, regenerating and replacing it with younger and fresher skin. This process is continuous with new layers forming every 4-6 weeks.
Risks of too much sun exposure
The sun is a leading cause of skin degeneration and it is called ‘photoageing’. It can bring about fine lines, coarse wrinkles – especially if you squint a lot, rough and dry skin, and visible blood vessels.
The UV rays can penetrate the skin, altering the cellular structure by breaking down collagen and impairing your skin’s ability to repair itself. Even small bursts of exposure from daily walks add up over time, weakening your skin’s defences.
Studies show that even a few instances of sunburn can increase the chances of skin cancer, even if they happened in early life. The use of sunbeds dramatically increases those chances. You can never be too careful when protecting yourself from the sun, and sunbeds should be avoided at all costs.
How to protect your skin
Protecting your skin from the sun is quite easy and can be achieved with a little consideration and discipline. Follow these simple steps and you will be just fine.
Wear sunscreen
You should apply sunscreen daily, even in the colder months, but especially in the sunny months, and even when you stay inside. Remember, if light can penetrate your windows, it can also penetrate your skin, so never leave yourself unprotected.
You should always aim for a minimum SPF of 30, but 50 is best. Make sure to reapply it every two hours, or sooner if you have been sweating or swimming. Putting it on once is often not enough.
Wear protective clothing
Your choice of clothing plays a vital role in your level of protection. In very hot and sunny weather opt for long sleeves, wear a hat with a brim, and wear UV blocking sunglasses. You can buy clothes that provide UV protection, so it’s like wearing an additional layer of sunscreen. They are not a substitute for sunscreen, however.
Your diet
Diet plays a role in your skin’s ability to defend itself against the sun’s UV rays. Antioxidants are a solid defence against the damage caused by the sun. Eating foods high in vitamin C and E, like citrus fruit, nuts and seeds, are beneficial. Also, tomatoes and watermelon are high in a compound called lycopene that can protect against sunburn. Eating leafy greens and colourful fruit and vegetables like red peppers and carrots, increase your skin’s tolerance to UV rays, thanks to the beta-carotene.
Time your exposure
The sun is always strongest during peak daytime hours, between 11 am and 3 pm. Try to avoid being exposed too much during those hours. You can track the sun’s intensity using applications that measure the ‘daily UV index’, and make your plans accordingly.
Aftercare and treatments
Using aftersun and a good moisturiser is essential to ensure your skin is hydrated and nurtured after sun exposure. Consider running a gentle bath using epsom salts or an oat milk bag (try putting try oats into some tights and letting it soak in your running bath) to give your skin the minerals it needs to heal.
Facial treatments are a great way to keep your skin healthy. They not only serve as a protective measure, but also a corrective one. Starting as early as possible ensures the best level of protection and results.
Opulent Aesthetics offers a wide range of facial treatments, including skin boosters, facial peels, microneedling with exosomes, polynucleotides, and anti-wrinkle injections for those who have already visible lines from sun exposure.
How treatments help
As discussed, the sun’s UV rays compromise the collagen in your skin by breaking it down.
Your body is in a constant battle to repair itself and the sun is its arch enemy.
Skin boosters containing hyaluronic acid and amino acids, give your body the essential ingredients it needs to rebuild collagen and elastin, keeping you ahead of the race. They also maximise your skin’s hydration, keeping it plump and healthy. Early use of skin boosters can reduce and fade fine lines to correct mild wrinkles.
Polynucleotide injections enhance your skin’s collagen and elastin structures by promoting fibroblast and fibronectin activity. Polynucleotides also enhance your skin’s ability to retain water, keeping your skin hydrated, which is vital to defend against the sun’s harmful rays.
Microneedling combined with exosomes is another fantastic way to improve the quality of your skin naturally. Microneedling works by creating tiny punctures in the outer layer of your facial skin. This triggers your skin’s natural healing response, however, the punctures also permit your skin to absorb beneficial compounds more deeply, and that’s where exosomes step in as a revolutionary treatment.
Exosomes are bio-sacs containing compounds that are essential to your skin’s repair and rejuvenation. They act as cellular messengers that instruct and support repair processes.
Applying exosomes immediately after a microneedling session ensures that your skin is perfectly equipped to regenerate new skin with enhanced collagen and elastin production. It is a superb way of combating the damage caused by the sun, but remember, your skin is more vulnerable to sun damage after a microneedling session, so avoid exposure and definitely wear sunscreen.
Facial peels also known as a skin peel is another effective way to correct damage caused by the sun. If you have scarring, or an older dryer layer of skin, a facial peel will gently dissolve it, exposing a fresh layer of skin. Much like microneedling, it will trigger your skin’s natural healing process, promoting cell generation, collagen and elastin production. Again, your skin will be more vulnerable to sun damage immediately after, so take precautions.
Anti-wrinkle injections are great at eliminating deeper wrinkles caused by facial movements and sun damage, including from squinting. They work by relaxing the muscles to smooth out visible lines. They are not a permanent solution, but become more effective with subsequent treatments. Anti-wrinkle injections are considered the ultimate weapon against ageing and sun damage, and they have stood the test of time, spanning decades of long-term use.
Final thoughts
In the right doses, the sun can be your friend, providing you with vitamin D that enhances your mental health, skin and bone health. But, the difference between medicine and poison is dose, and it is very easy to underestimate the potent effects of the sun’s harmful rays, and find yourself overexposed.
Your quest for the fountain of youth is not just about what you do, but equally about what you don’t do, so taking precautions against the harmful effects of the sun is not merely beneficial, it is absolutely necessary.
Opulent Aesthetics is passionate about maintaining your beauty for as long as possible. We provide advice on guidance to ensure that you always look and feel your best. Our specialist treatments take things one step further by giving you the latest of what beauty science has to offer.
To learn more or book an appointment with Sadie, the lead practitioner at Opulent Aesthetics, click here. You’ll be warmly welcomed into her cosy studio in the heart of Purley, South Croydon, where your treatments will be carried out with the care and attention you deserve.
