Why You Should Avoid Sunburn This Summer
Summer is coming which means pool days, lazy afternoons reading on deck chairs and long sunset beach strolls. What do these summer activities have in common? They’re exposing your skin to the effects of the sun. Getting the right amount of Vitamin D is essential, but when overexposed to the sun, your skin suffers the consequences. Here’s why you should try your best to avoid getting sunburnt this summer!
There are many different types of rays present in sunlight. You can see the sun’s light, and you can feel the sun’s heat, but you can’t see or feel the sun’s UV radiation even though it is impacting your body. UV can reach you directly from the sun or it can be reflected off different surfaces and scattered by particles in the air (can we ever escape UV rays?).
Did you know? There are approximately 500 times more UVA rays in sunlight than UVB rays, and unprotected exposure to UVA and UVB damages the DNA in skin cells. Here’s the difference between the two, how they affect your skin and what you can do to prevent this environmental damage.
UVA
UVA is not hot. It can't be felt and isn't connected to the temperature. UV levels can be damaging on cool, cloudy days and warm, sunny days. Exposure to these UV rays can cause premature aging of the skin and signs of sun damage such as wrinkles, leathery skin, liver spots, actinic keratosis, and solar elastosis. UV rays can also cause eye problems. They can cause the cornea (on the front of the eye) to become inflamed or burned.
UVB
The initials UVB stand for the type B ultraviolet, the middle energy between the tanning rays (UVA) and the intense germicidal UVC (most of which is filtered out by the ozone layer). UVB rays are responsible for producing sunburn. The UVB rays also play the greatest role in causing skin cancers, including the deadly black mole form of skin cancer (malignant melanoma).
Basically, not protecting your skin from sunburn can result in:
- Pigmentation
- Texture changes, such as rough skin and wrinkles
- Increased number of moles and freckles
- Skin cancer
- Permanent stretching of small blood vessels
While you can treat the aesthetic effects of sun damage, you unfortunately can't reduce or reverse DNA damage caused by the sun. Once DNA mutation has occurred due to UV irradiation, there is no way to undo that. But there are things you can do to prevent the sun having a lasting, negative effect on the skin:
☼ Always wear sunscreen
☼ Avoid sun in the middle of the day, from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m (UV rays are their strongest at this time)
☼ Wear protective clothing e.g. a sarong over your shoulders
☼ Wear sunglasses that filter UV light
☼ Use SkinSpring R³ Formulation to combat environmental damage done to the skin
☼ Soothe post-sun skin with The Olio Store’s Soothing Gel
With ingredients like Aloe Ferox, Chamomile Flower Extract and Lavender Flower Extract, this Gel is effective in soothing, hydrating and repairing skin. And, it’s especially effective for sunburn because it reduces itchiness, redness and more.
This Soothing Gel is suitable for all skin types and should be applied directly onto clean skin after direct sun exposure or when your skin feels dry, inflamed or irritated. Always keep a tube handy this summer, your skin will thank you!