How Does Sun Exposure Affect Your Skin?
When summer rolls around, there is nothing better than hitting the beach and soaking up the sun to get that Instagram-worthy golden tan. When you’re young, it’s easy to forget about skin-protection, and sunburn just seems like temporary damage.
However, the consequences of not considering the effects of too much sun exposure to the skin can cause permanent skin damage and premature aging, also known as photoaging.
Are you noticing the effects of sun exposure causing wrinkles, lines, and discoloration on your skin?
Our Atopis Anti-Aging Cream has been designed for skin that has lived, including over-exposure to the elements over time. Using 100% natural ingredients, our cream stimulates collagen production to plump your skin, reduce wrinkles, and restore your youthful glow.
How Does The Sun Affect My Skin?
Sun exposure is responsible for up 90% of the visible changes attributed to aging (WHO report) that we generally consider as a normal part of aging. This process is known as ‘photoaging’.
Signs of Photoaging include:
• Fine lines and wrinkles – around the eyes and mouth.
• Skin dryness – flaking of the skin in patches.
• Skin laxity – loss of collagen and elasticity in the skin.
• Pigmentation – discoloration of parts of the skin in the sun-exposed areas.
• Vascular abnormalities – such as spider veins on the nose, cheeks, and neck.
But there are far more sinister aspects to photoaging than just the appearance aspects.
Melanin and Skin Pigmentation
UV exposure causes skin cells to produce melanin, which results in the “beautiful” golden tan, but this is essentially the skin trying to protect itself from damage.
Melanin is actually the end byproduct of oxidative stress within the cell. It is the same chemical process as when an apple or banana goes brown, so getting a tan is not healthy, but rather a sign of your skin suffering high levels of oxidative stress.
Unfortunately, UV does not just cause melanin production, it also causes DNA damage which if not repaired will in later life result in actinic keratosis or worse, melanoma.
Oxidative stress caused by UV Rays
As far as prematurely aging your skin, UV rays cause intense oxidative stress within your skin cells.
As well as the DNA in your nucleus being damaged, UV ray exposure can also result in mitochondrial impairment.
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of your cells, and their job is to fight free radicals to control the level of oxidation in a cell and to produce cellular energy.
Any damage your mitochondria results in your cells destroying your antioxidation system and energy supply.
This causes an increase in free radicals within the cell and a decline in cellular energy production. If left unchecked, this build-up of free radicals can also damage the DNA within the mitochondria – potentially resulting in skin cancer.
Unfortunately, by damaging your cells mitochondria powerhouse, you impair energy production.
This creates a long-term potential for large-scale cellular damage across the body which can cascade into changes in your metabolic state, leading to potential weight gain, diabetes, and fatigue.
So it is absolutely critical to protect your mitochondria from UV and oxidative stress to avoid potential longer-term negative effects.
Can our skin rust?
Nuclear ferritin (iron) in your cells protects your DNA from free radicals.
UV exposure results in the release of ferritin, and its oxidation means that your defense systems are damaged, your iron levels are reduced, and your DNA is now at risk of being damaged.
Although this is the same chemical process as what occurs with metals and rusting, your skin cells do not technically rust, but your cellular iron does oxidize in the same way.
Controlling Wrinkles
Unfortunately, UV damage does not stop there, it changes the three-dimensional structure of vital proteins including collagen so that they lose their “bounce” and become flattened.
This results in wrinkles and thinning of the skin. Nothing will prematurely age you more than UV exposure.
It takes the skin two years to “recover” from sunburn on the surface, the cellular damage, however, can remain with you for life.
Make sure you use a high SPF sunscreen that meets US standards, as these are the highest in the world. Apply regularly and make sure you cover up your skin.
Prevent Photo-Aging With Atopis
If you are looking for a product to reduce sun damage, Our Atopis Anti-Aging Cream has been scientifically formulated to work below the skin to balance hormones, which will give you visible results on the appearance of your skin.
Our Anti Aging Cream uses 100% natural ingredients that stimulate collagen production which plumps the skin, reduces wrinkles, and restores your youthful and healthy glow!
Using sunscreen initially is the best way to make sure your skin is protected. However, if the damage is done, using a cream packed with antioxidants for your skin body will give your mitochondria the help they need to function properly. Remember oxidative stress anywhere in your body will show on your skin.