Sun Protection

Protecting your skin from UV rays is one of the best things you can do for your skin to stop the effects of aging and to look after your skin health, wherever you fit on the Fitzpatrick skin scale (colour), skin type (dry, combination, oily etc) age, or whether you're male or female. Up to 90% of premature skin aging is caused by the sun. So let's look at what's happening...

UV Rays:

The sun emits Ultra Violet rays. They are an electromagnetic radiation. These rays can be measured into UVA (340-400nm), UVB (290-320nm), and UVC (200-290nm). 

UVC rays are the shortest and are entirely absorbed by the atmosphere which means they can’t reach your skin in order to damage it. However, UVA and UVB rays can.

UVA rays = The Aging Rays

• Are relatively constant all year round

• Cause accumulative damage by producing free radicals that damage DNA

• Have a longer wavelength and can penetrate your dermis where they break down collagen and elastin

• Cause pigmentation

UVB rays = Burning

• Strength fluctuates throughout the day and seasons (e.g. stronger in midday and summer)

• Have a shorter wavelength and can only penetrate your epidermis

• Cause sunburn and are highly associated with skin cancer

When UVB radiation hits our skin, it produces more melanin to counteract it's affects which has a desirable outcome of making us tan. This 'tan' is actually skin damage. Too much of UVB and our skin burns causing irreversible damage to our skin cells. Whilst we cannot always see the damage surface level it will be there and will show itself as premature aging.

UVA rays hit our skin all year round which is why we need to wear sun protection all year round. UVA rays can also penetrate our skin through windows too.

Is sun screen all the same?

No, there are different types. There are physical (sun block) and chemical (sun cream) which can come in different formats - ie cream, lotion, spray, stick and both have negatives/positives.

Physical blocks UV rays but it is a heavy formula that sits on top of the skin and is not absorbed It is also difficult to remove, so extra care needs to be taken at the end of the day. However it blocks all rays so great for people with sensitivities who need to keep out of the sun.

Chemical sunscreen is absorbed by the skin and not detectable by others so you can continue your work day etc and still look professional etc However it can be removed by sweat so needs to be reapplied throughout the day to keep it effective.

A mixture of both can be applied.

What is SPF (sun protection factor)?

'SPF refers to the amount of UV radiation it takes to produce sunburn when wearing sunscreen in comparison to how much UV exposure it takes for unprotected skin to get sunburned. But, contrary to popular belief, SPF does not tell you how long you can stay in the sun without getting burned.' www.verywellhealth.com

SPF comes in different levels and the higher the number the more protection and consequently the more expensive the product. SPF50 will still need to be applied every couple of hours the same as SPF 30. For example; SPF50 will protects you against 98% of UV rays where as SPF30 will protect you against 97% of UV rays.

Did you know that SPF only measures UVB protection?

Originally UVB rays were thought of as more dangerous to our skin but times have changed and scientists have discovered that UVA rays are also damaging to the skin. If you’re looking to prevent aging and pigmentation, you’ll want a sunscreen that also offers UVA protection. Here are the different ways that a sunscreens UVA protection is measured:

Broad-Spectrum - The sunscreen contains both UVA and UVB protection but the strength of the UVA protection hasn’t been measured.

PPD - Measures UVA protection by how long it takes for pigmentation to appear after sun exposure with and without the sunscreen (like how SPF is measured but using pigmentation instead of redness).

UVA-PF - Measures how much UVA passes through a sunscreen when it's applied to an acrylic sheet compared to how much passes through the acrylic sheet alone.

Skincare Ingredients That Increase Sun Sensitivity

Make sure you're wearing sunscreen everyday if you're using any of these ingredients (even if the UV Index is Low Risk)

Phototoxicity is a light-induced response to a photoreactive substance (one that absorbs in the UVB/UVA/Visible light spectrum). An ingredient is considered phototoxic if it causes an exaggerated sunburn (redness, swelling, heat, itchiness) on skin where it has been applied compared to bare skin. In contrast, an ingredient is considered photoprotective if it reduces the sunburn response on skin where it has been applied compared to bare skin (e.g. antioxidants - vitamin c).

So exactly how does the UV rays damage our skin? Have a look at this visual:

And how does pre-mature aging skin look compared to natural skin? Please see visual

I really hope this has given you a better understanding of why sun protection is a must have in your everyday skin care routine. I currently have a lot of sun induced signs of aging which would have been preventable had I known the effects from unprotected tanning when I was younger. My skin doesn't burn easily and so I didn't take it seriously. Now that I'm middle age, I take sun protection seriously because I know the impact it has upon my skin and how my skin will look if I choose not to take care of it.