Undeniably, on certain days, sun gazing for a while works best to ease the agony and pain. However, do you know that sitting in the sun for longer durations can cause irreversible skin damage? The sun emits two types of invisible radiations i.e. Ultraviolet A (UVA) Rays and Ultraviolet B (UVB) Rays which penetrate the skin to damage DNA and skin proteins.
Research published in The International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS) has demonstrated the damaging effects of UV rays in causing a variety of skin conditions including premature aging, skin peeling, hyperpigmentation, risk of cancer, etc. To avoid sun damage, the use of sunscreen is considered as a crucial safety measure. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that sun rays are detrimental to everyone regardless of their age, gender, and skin color.
Top 5 reasons
- Prevents premature aging
- Keeps your skin healthy looking
- Reduces hyperpigmentation
- Prevents the chances of sunburn and tanning
- Lowers cancer risk
1. Prevent premature aging
Exposure to UVA rays is known to cause the degradation of the essential components of the extracellular matrix such as collagen, elastin, and fibronectin. A loss of structural integrity of skin leads to fine lines, wrinkles, and saggy skin. A new research finding reveals that the use of broad-spectrum sunscreen is quite effective to combat premature aging. Such sunscreens prevent both UVA and UVB rays from reaching out to your skin. Unlike UVB rays, UVA rays are present throughout the day even when there is little daylight. That‘s why you need to wear sunscreen on cloudy days or indoors all day.
2. Keeps your skin healthy-looking
Dermatologists opine that sunscreen should be an integral part of your skin regimen. In addition, the use of sunscreen containing physical filters like Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide has been found to keep your skin healthy and soft. The non-comedogenic properties of these ingredients prevent the clogging of pores hence keep you safe from the risk of acne and blemishes.
3. Reduces hyperpigmentation
Melanocyte cells in your body produce the pigment melanin, which acts as a defense mechanism against sun rays. Unprotected sun exposure triggers melanin production in the body. This extra melanin may make your skin appear darker, patchy, and discolored at certain places. Indian journal of dermatology states the role of sunscreen in improving the pigmentary skin disorders such as Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) and melasma.
4. Prevent the chances of sunburn
Sunburn is a skin condition characterized by red, inflamed, and flaky skin which occurred due to prolonged exposure to the sun. Slathering on a broad-spectrum sunscreen half an hour before going to sun exposure is an important tip to avoid sunburn. Active ingredients in sunscreen act as a shield against UV rays, hence prevent sunburn.
5. Lowers cancer risk
A study of 2014 has elaborated that UVB rays have been found to cause the mutations in DNA, which ultimately may lead to skin cancers. However, the role of UVA is also linked to melanoma formation after acknowledging the rising incidence of melanoma over the past few years. Skin cancer foundation explains that daily use of sunscreen SPF 15 can help to reduce the risk of cancer to a certain extent.
Since both, UVA and UVB rays are present throughout the year, regardless of the weather or season. Unprotected sun exposure is known to cause a lot of changes in your skin. The change in your skin might not be visible at first but with time, skin damage becomes noticeable in the form of deep wrinkles, age spots, and so on. Hence, it is wise not to neglect your sun protection. All you have to do is liberally apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen every day to shield yourself. Also, a daily dose of an ideal sunscreen and wearing sun-safe clothes is a secret skin care advice from the dermatologists to keep your skin healthy and youthful-looking.
P.S.
It is imperative to identify the harmful ingredients in your sunscreen for best and safe UV protection. The latest research studies claimed that widely used sunscreen agents like oxybenzone and parabens impose adverse effects on human and marine life. On the contrary, sunscreens containing mineral ingredients are considered quite good to provide the optimum sun protection and less likely to cause any skin irritation and allergies.
