| The Sun and Your Skin |
By: Deborah Byrd
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Being in the sun often, even if you don't burn, can have serious consequences. A tan is the body's desperate attempt to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays. Repeated exposure to the sun's UV rays without sunscreen can lead to skin damage, including wrinkling, discoloration, roughness, visible blood vessels, and in serious cases, skin cancer.
Extrinsic aging results from exposure to the environment and is the critical element in determining who looks older or younger than their biological age. People who work outdoors or sunbathe without sun protection can develop tough, leathery skin, making them look older than they are. Photo-aging occurs with a breakdown of elastin and collagen which, when not replaced, causes fine lines and wrinkles to intensify. Photo-aging also causes pigment changes with the development of age spots (sun-induced freckles), uneven skin tone, and scaly growths (actinic keratoses) that may develop into skin cancer, spider veins, and dilated capillaries. These skin changes are caused by years of sun exposure.
My friend was surprised to hear that tanning booths use ultraviolet rays. Makers of the booths may claim that they use "harmless" UVA rays, but both UVA and UVB rays cause skin damage. While UVA rays take longer than UVB rays to damage the skin, they go deeper into the skin.
Alternatives and solutions
1. Get a great self-tanner. I have been using one with amino acids that interacts with skin’s proteins to produce a natural looking tan.
2. Use sunscreen. Sunscreens provide broad-spectrum protection by scattering and reflecting both UVA and UVB rays. Of all the physical sunscreens tested by the FDA, zinc oxide offers the highest protection against UV radiation exposure. Titanium dioxide also works great against UVB and is good against UVA.
3. Take care of your skin with professional treatments with physician-endorsed and FDA-approved skin care products.
Deborah Byrd is a licensed electrologist and esthetician with a medical background centered around nursing and dental hygiene. She has been practicing for ten years and is the owner of Eclipse Skin Care and Electrology. 720-422-5577
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