Burns Fade, Damage Stays Sunsmarts for Teenblue You may walk away from the beach with a suntan, but that's not all you're getting. Most skin damage that causes early aging is from sunshine. This damage adds up slowly over time but starts at an early age. Sometimes early wrinkles and aging are all that happen…but sometimes, damage can add up to something way more serious: skin cancer. Never leave home without sunscreen. Use at least SPF 20 on your face and ears and a higher SPF if possible on the rest of you. Your adult self will thank you later. Absolutely avoid tanning beds - stick with bottled tans or spray tans for big occasions. Here’s What We’ve Got For You: - How Sunlight Works – all the UVA & UVB Info
- How Does Sunscreen Work? And What is SPF?
- What About Vitamin D? Don’t We Get That From Sunshine?
- Your Skin & What It May Show You When Sun Damage is Present
How Sunlight Works – all the UVA & UVB Info Sunlight arrives on earth in three forms: infrared (heat), visible light and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet light is classified into three categories: UVA, also known as black light, which causes tanning UVB, which causes damage in the form of sunburn UVC, filtered out by the atmosphere and never reaches us. 99% of the sun's UV radiation at sea level is UVA. It has been the UVB up to now that has been blamed as the biggest cause of aging, wrinkles, and cancer, but scientists are now finding research pointing to UVA affecting these areas as well! Ultraviolet light can damage all layers of your skin: the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue (fat). To protect itself from damage, your skin increases the production of melanocytes, which produce the dark brown pigment, melanin. But this protection is short-lived. Longer exposure to ultraviolet light causes the skin to burn, bringing pain, redness and swelling. One of the interesting things about UV radiation is that it is reflected by different surfaces. This can amplify the effects. Example: Snow – reflects 90% UV light. Snow blindness and severe sunburns can occur on the ski slopes! Sand – reflects 20% UV light. That equals EXTRA exposure at the beach. Luckily, other things absorb almost all UV radiation partially or completely. Example: Glass – absorbs UV light, so you cannot get sunburn in a glass greenhouse. Because of this, most sunscreens are made up of chemicals that absorb UV light. How Does Sunscreen Work? And What is SPF? A good sunscreen blocks exposure to both UVB and UVA rays. The chemicals can absorb UV light so they cannot penetrate into skin layers, but they also break down collagen, create free radicals, and inhibit the natural repair mechanisms of the skin. This stops blood from rushing to the area, so you don’t get red skin and it stops the production of the darkening pigment (called melanin). SPF – It’s just math! SPF stands for “Sun Protection Factor.” If normal, unprotected sun exposure will cause your skin to burn in 10 minutes, (this is about right) then the SPF factor of your sunscreen will lengthen the time you can stay in the sun before burning. So, multiply 10 minutes by the SPF number. An SPF of 30 will allow 300 minutes, or 5 hours in the sun. BUT – research proves we usually don’t apply enough, we miss areas all together, and we swim and sweat without re-applying. This means you should always re-apply every few hours no matter which SPF you are using! The higher the UV index for the day, the shorter the time your sunscreen lasts. What About Vitamin D? Don’t We Get That From Sunshine? Vitamin D is super-important for our overall good health. And yes, just 10 minutes of direct exposure to sunshine gives us our daily allotment of this essential vitamin. BUT, 10 minutes is enough time to burn skin too, so since we get Vitamin D from the foods we eat, or we can take a vitamin supplement for it, there is no need to expose yourself to the risk of unprotected sunshine! Milk, eggs and fish are great natural sources of Vitamin D. 4 glasses of milk are all you need for a full daily dose of Vitamin D. Many items we eat every day are fortified with Vitamin D. Just check a few labels and make sure you’re getting what you need. Your Skin & What It May Show You When Sun Damage is Present Skin damage from UVA & UVB exposure is actually CELL damage. That’s why a little damage at a time adds up and creates permanent destruction of skin cells. Young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are most at-risk for improper sun protection. If you have been neglecting your skin, now is the time to start a new routine. It takes just a few minutes every day with a sunscreen to ensure healthy skin for always! What might start showing up if you’ve been over-exposed to sunshine for many months and years? Uneven pigmentation The sun stimulates your skin to produce more of its darkening agent (melanin). While this pigment gives you a tan, it can be uneven and splotchy sometimes, and too much melanin can mutate into skin cancer, called melanoma. See how the words melanoma and melanin are related? If your skin is naturally dark, you will have more natural melanin, and in some ways this can protect your skin from the sun for longer periods. Still, sunscreen is a good idea! Solar Lentigines Fancy words for age spots or liver spots. Have nothing to do with your liver, but DO relate to aging of your skin. With high sun exposure, these can appear in your teens, but most start showing up in your 20s. These are flat spots; usually black, brown or gray. Face, arms, upper back and hands are the most common places for these spots to appear. They're different from freckles. Freckles are reddish-brown, smaller and usually lighten in winter. Solar Lentigines stay dark and never go away. Labial Lentigo If you develop a dark brown bump (or lesion) on your lips after repeated exposure to sunlight, it is most likely Labial Lentigo. Since the bottom lip gets more sun, this is where it usually appears. Solar Elastosis Deep vertical creases in your skin, deep wrinkles and loose, sagging skin means that ultraviolet radiation from the sun has penetrated to the deeper layer of your skin and broken down connective tissue! The dermis, or deep layer of skin, is made up partially of collagen and elastin fibres. When those break down, so does the firmness of skin tissue. Sag city! Extra Warning for anyone who wears make-up regularly – cosmetics can enhance sun damage, as certain chemicals in make-up are often sun reactive. So apply your sunscreen BEFORE your makeup. Other stuff – Lots of little bumps and lesions and discolorations can appear on skin that has had too much sun for too long. These can include melasma, poikiloderma, actinic keratoses, and even worse, things like lentigo maligna, which is one type of melanoma (skin cancer).
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