Five reasons to avoid too much sun exposure! Part 1

By: Lindsey MacDonald

Most men and women don’t attribute there skin conditions, and/or ageing skin to the sun. People feel that it is an unavoidable result of time. Well, on the contrary, 90-95 percent of our “unavoidable” skin conditions and ageing is most definitely caused by the sun. Here are a some results to prolonged exposure to the sun: Pre-cancerous cells (actinic keratosis) and cancerous cells (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma), benign tumors, fine and coarse wrinkles, freckles, discolored areas of the skin, called hyper pigmentation, and Telangiectasias—the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin. There is an urgent need to consider the damage the sun has on skin. Here are my top five reasons for taking appropriate protective action.

Reason #5: Most skin ageing is caused by sun damage.

Only 10% is caused by time, when almost 80% is from prolonged sun exposure. The sun breaks down elastic tissue. The body has to work harder to replace this tissue, which is increasingly difficult as the body matures. Androgens naturally flow through our blood stream and go into the skin cells where they turn into Dihydrotestosterone, also known as DHT. DHT stops the production of elastin. Anti-Androgens help balance out our DHT level and keep the skin’s elasticity. As we age, the production of our anti-androgens decrease and our production of DHT increases. Therefore, if we are continually exposing our skin to the sun, we are continually destroying our elastin tissue, which will have a domino effect. Our skin will never have time to recover from its last “beating” and will start to appear rigid, and prematurely age. So for men or women who are trying to repair skin which has already been damaged, I recommend Dermalogica’s Age Smart line. This unique product line combines salicylic acid; Vitamin C and Vitamin A. These ingredients help exfoliate and promote a rapid cell turn over rate. Your skin will feel moisturized, and keep that soft glow of youth.

Reason #4: People who have Rosacea will experience more break-out activity.

Rosacea is a vassal motor instability, where the skin is most often characterized by inflamed blood vessels and a red undertone in the skin. (Telangiectasias is another term for dilated or inflamed blood vessels.) You may also experience dry patches at times, itchiness, and break-out’s similar to acne. Rosacea affects approximately 13 million Americans and ranges in the ages of 30-50 year olds. If a Rosacea client goes out into the sun they increase the risk of having a Rosacea break-out, which in turn could cause fine capillaries in the skin to burst. Most of my clients notice there skin is most under control when they are using there Dermalogica sensitive skin products daily, receiving a monthly facial maintenance and avoiding over-sun exposure.

Reason #3: Increases the chances of hyper pigmentation.

Hyper pigmentation is also a skin condition both men and women can have, but women seem to be the prime candidates because of hormones. Women, who have been pregnant, are pregnant, are on birth control, going through menopause or are advent sun worshipers probably have or may experience some degree of hyper pigmentation. It is identified as darker/brown areas on the skin. These areas can be anywhere on the skin, and can even cover most of the surface area. Those who have hyper pigmentation should not have frequent sun exposure, because the sun increases the hyper pigmentation on the skin.

At Electra we carry the Dermalogica skin care line which has the most supreme products for hyper pigmentation, or any pigmentation problem; it is the ChromaWhite Trx. This line of products will have everything from the right cleanser to the right spot treatment for your problem areas.

Stay tuned and read Part 2 for the Top Two Reasons to Stay out of the Sun!

Work Cited for Part One and Two: Statistics done by the Country for Rosacea. August 14, 2009. <http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com>.
Web MD Medical Reference. Cosmetic Procedures: Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer. August 13, 2009. <http://www.medicinenet.com>.
Peter T. Purgliese. M.D Chapter 11 Elastin: The youth protein. August 14, 2009. http://www.ethocyninfo.com>.