Best Ways to Prevent Sun Damage on Your Face
The sun is the reason why the entire planet can continuously survive. It keeps every living thing alive in one manner or another. It’s strange to consider the sun to be an adversary, but that’s exactly what it is. The sun is more harmful than helpful to our skin, and it’s necessary to take steps to counteract or prevent the damage the sun may cause.
Why Is the Sun So Harmful to Skin?
The sun’s ultraviolet rays are intense. They’re a naturally occurring form of radiation, and they destroy cells they come into contact with.
When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays for prolonged periods, damage begins to accumulate. Too much sun exposure can lead to various forms of sun damage like dark spots, wrinkles, moles, collagen loss, or sunburn, where the damage is so severe that the top layer of the skin burns and peels, leaving the layer beneath red, sensitive, discomfort.
Protecting yourself from UV radiation is not merely an aesthetic concern. It’s a health concern. Minimizing sun exposure and taking adequate steps to mitigate the sun’s ability to damage your skin are necessary for your well-being.
Isn’t It Good To Go Outside?
It’s great to go outside. Fresh air, hiking, and watching the ocean are great for your body and your soul.
Spending time in nature is a meditative activity that many people find to be relaxing and fulfilling. It’s only not good to be outside if you aren’t protected from the sun.
Many people believe that unprotected exposure to UVB rays and UVA rays is beneficial because the body uses sunlight to create vitamin D. While this process does occur, it isn’t necessary for achieving healthy amounts of vitamin D.
Most of the things we eat and drink are already fortified with vitamin D. If your doctor recommends that you get more vitamin D, it’s unlikely that the medical recommendation will be sun exposure. Supplements are much safer.
The Appearance of Sun Damage
Sun damage can manifest itself in many different ways, from uneven skin tone and skin texture to elastin protein damage and scaly patches. Many people develop sun spots (also known as age spots or liver spots), which are dark hyperpigmentation spots caused by uneven melanin production.
The sun also dehydrates the skin, leading to the premature appearance of skin aging and skin that’s dry to the touch. Repeated sun damage can cause irreversible lines in the skin.
Protecting Yourself From the Sun
For the most part, sun damage can be avoided. The most logical thing to do is to avoid the sun as often as possible. This isn’t always feasible. You’re going to encounter the sun just by walking to the mailbox. For excursions longer than that, even if you’ll be traveling primarily by car, you need to protect yourself from the sun.
Using Sunscreen
Learn more about the sun protection factor in your sunscreen products. Broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen is a must-have. SPF 30 is perfectly effective in all sun conditions.
There are SPFs with much higher ratings, but they’re only minimally more effective than SPF 30. Not to mention, they’re also a lot more expensive.
Apply sunscreen to your face and all skin that isn’t covered by clothing. If you go swimming, remember to reapply after you dry off. Even water-resistant sunscreens wear away over time.
Wearing Sunglasses
UV-rated sunglasses will help to protect your eyesight from sun damage. They’ll also help to protect the sensitive, thin skin around your eyes from sun damage. It can be difficult to apply sunscreen adequately around your eyes, since you need to avoid getting the sunscreen in your eyes. Sunglasses work double duty to protect you.
Find a Hat You Like
Protective clothing like hats is a wonderful addition to your skincare regimen. If you aren’t a hat person, you might want to consider becoming a hat person. Wide-brimmed hats provide sun protection by shading your entire face. Although wide-brimmed hats wouldn’t generally be regarded as stylish, they’re an essential sun protection tool.
A wide-brimmed hat isn’t necessary for casual or brief outdoor excursions if you’re wearing sunscreen and sunglasses. If you’re going to be mowing the lawn or firing up the grill, it’s best to wear your wide-brimmed hat for the majority of the time.
Hats are crucially important for people who are bald or for people who have buzzed haircuts. Hair provides some protection to the scalp and, depending on the hairstyle, may slightly shade the forehead. If you don’t have any hair, your hair is your workaround.
Drink Water
Sun exposure, especially when you’re moving around on a hot day, can contribute to dehydration. Your body is about 60% water, and when you’ve lost a significant amount of water, your body begins to suffer. You can experience headaches and muscle aches, You might feel weak or lightheaded.
In addition to the way you feel, dehydration can also negatively impact the way you look. Dehydrated skin loses its natural plumpness. Your face may appear to lose volume, simulating the appearance of aging. Drinking water, as well as applying topical hydrating ingredients to your skin, can help your skin look and feel healthier.
Taking Care of Your Skin
Sun protection is only one of several important factors in protecting your skin from damage.
First, you need to ensure that you're using sun-sensitive skincare products at night instead of during your morning routine. Popular treatments like prescription retinol gels and over-the-counter creams are powerful additions to any skincare regimen, but they can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage. Be sure to use these products before bed, instead of in the morning. Other common skincare treatments like chemical peels also require you to temporarily avoid sun exposure.
Beyond avoiding irritating products, your skin requires daily care to remain healthy and nourished. Sunscreen should be the final step in your morning skincare routine. Antioxidant-rich skincare like vitamin C products can help protect your skin from free radicals floating in the air, which also cause damage to the health of your skin.
Avoid Environmental Stressors
When air pollution and environmental stressors come into contact with your skin, their volatile particles seek to steal electrons from the walls of healthy cells. Antioxidants sacrifice their own electrons to prevent oxidative damage to your skin.
Antioxidants also work to prevent damage related to UV exposure, although they’re not a complete substitute for a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Caldera + Lab’s The Good serum contains more than 3.4 million antioxidant units in a single drop, providing your skin with a wealth of microscopic soldiers to help defend its health. These antioxidants come as a part of a wealth of skin healthy active botanical ingredients that work with your skin from the inside out.
The Base Layer moisturizer provides an additional dose of antioxidants to the surface of your skin while creating a barrier. The base layer locks in the hydration and active ingredients of The Good while serving as a shield to the surface of your skin.
Any free radicals or pollutants you come into contact with will first interact with the moisturizer, making the antioxidants more likely to take the brunt of the damage.
While certain treatments like photodynamic therapy, cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen, and laser treatments can be used to remove sun damage, preventative skincare can help avoid the need for these drastic measures.
Top off your skincare routine with SPF 30 to mitigate the sun’s UV rays. Don’t forget your hat and sunglasses, and bring along a refillable water bottle.
Sources:
Vitamin D Myths 'D'-bunked | Yale Medicine