Skin Care Friends » Skin Protection

Facts You Should Know About Sunscreens

A Skin Care Friend — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:21:03 +0000

Sunscreens are defined as any substance or material that acts as a form of sun protection. The primary aim of sun protection is to avoid the concurrence of sunburns, but it is not limited to this goal. Incremental impairment to the overall health of the body happens with each contact to the harmful UV radiation, even during exposures that does not lead to actual redness or burning. This impairment accumulates over the time and the magnitude of exposure. Over the years, the overall time exposure in the sun will be reflected by blotchy pigmentation, wrinkles and with severe contact, skin cancer. It’s very important to protect your skin with some best selling sunscreen.

Chemical sunscreens work by avoiding the harmful UV rays from penetrating into the skin’s outer layer, the epidermis by acting as strainers and taking in and are reflecting the high ultraviolet radiation. The molecules comprising these substances takes in the high energy ultraviolet photons, but a specific amount of UV light will be able to pass through the epidermis, and thus, it is safe to claim that there are no forms of chemical sun protection that can block 100 percent of all the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

Sunscreens are made up of chemicals that are able to take in the UV rays before they can even do damage to the skin. They need to be applied around 30 minutes prior to an expected sun exposure so that the chemicals may be allowed to have some time to soak and be absorbed into the skin and form a layer of sun protection. On the other hand, a sunblock is comprised of particles that physically prevent the UV rays from touching the skin. Sunblocks do not need to be applied for a certain time before the sun exposure. They work at the onset of rubbing them into the skin since they sit on top of the skin’s surface.

Tanning Lotions

A Skin Care Friend — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:37:06 +0000

Stop sun bathing! Tanning Lotion is the solution you need 2 know today!

Tanning Lotion, is a form of lotion that is applied to the skin in order to achieve a bronze like skin tone. The phenomena started back in the in 1920′s, credited to Coco Chanel; founder of the prestigious Chanel fashion brand. It was her bold and lavish lifestyle that associated her “bronzed skin tone” to status, attitude, and prestige, as she molded a bold new outlook for women.

The skin tanning culture is thus accredited to women; making the tanned skin an indicator for status, wealth, and health. The craze to be “tanned” caused people to obsess and abuse their time “sunbathing”. This would lead to serious health risks as people started developing skin cancer at an enormous rate due to the over exposure to the suns powerful UV rays.

Sun block lotions were thus created in order to stop the rising rates in skin cancer and were designed to block the harmful UVA and UVB rays. This still however did not completely solve the problem as those who had already excessively tanned were already at risk for skin cancer; and the moderation of sunbathing was still needed, even with the use of sun block lotion.

As a solution in the 1970′s; tanning lotion was introduced. An ingenious idea where people no longer had to spend hours under the sun, risking their health in order to achieve the bronze like skin tone they so desired. This invention allowed them to simply apply the lotion to their skin, leave it on overnight, and wash it off in morning. Of course however, it had its flaws as almost any new idea would; it turned people’s skin orange. Because of this issue, the product did not take off, at least not until it was improved and reintroduced in the 1980′s.

Since then, the tanning phenomena has only but grown larger into it’s own massive industry. Tanning could now be purchased in either cream, spray, or lotion form. Another alternative to tanning in the sun, is tanning beds or tanning salons, where people go to fulfill their desire to be tanned. Although self control must also be displayed with tanning beds as they can also be harmful to your health and turn you into human orange sherbet Popsicle if not careful .

It is no doubt that within Western culture, and especially American culture, that a tanned body is associated with status; from movies tars to news casters all have to have a little color to their skin. Pale is out! Color is in! and will not be going anywhere, any time soon.

Using Sunscreen is Crucial to Maintain a Healthy Skin

Amy Nutt — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:48:42 +0000

Your skin is the most important part of you -in a sense that is. A glowing, beautiful skin is always attractive and most people would kill to have it anytime any day. Nutritionists and experts consistently advise taking good sunscreen care of the skin. Research has shown that people who neglect their skin and are altogether nonchalant about this important part of their bodies often get to regret it later on as they age faster than their counterparts. There are various ways via which the skin can be taken care of and maintained so that it consistently gives that ageless quality that we all so desire.

Apart from using moisturizers to protect the skin from scales and dryness, exfoliators and cleaners, skin care experts and nutritionists often advise that the amount of fatty food taken be low, fruits are also advised as a critical part of our daily diets. Because fruits contain anti-oxidants, the body tends to process it more and there are little or no fatty deposits.

Another important tip to note is reducing the amount of time spent in the sun. During the summer, it is normal for everybody to want to go to the beach and suntan. People often buy tanning lotions and creams. One other important skin protector used during the summer are the sunscreen lotions. Sunscreen lotions and creams basically prevent your skin from the direct contact of UV rays which can cause skin cancer. In fact, according to the FDA, over ten thousand people die of skin cancer every year. While skin cancer isn’t caused by just extreme exposure to sun, over seventy percent of the total number of deaths recorded is as a result of skin cancer.

People who expose themselves to the sun without using sunscreen are at a risk of developing melanoma, and aging faster. Estimates between the number of people who had cancer in 1998 and 2000, showed that between the ten year period, the number of people who had been diagnosed with skin cancer had increased by sixty seven percent and out of this, over fifty percent were melanoma related cases caused by increased exposure to the sun.

Protecting your skin from the direct impact of UV rays include getting fully clothed, applying sunscreen lotions containing SPF 15. This works great and should be applied fifteen minutes before even steeping out into the sun. If you have to use a moisturizer, make the sunscreen the foundation before applying the moisturizer. It is important to know that while tanning creams and lotions can protect you from getting sunburned, it cannot function as sunscreen which protects you from skin cancer and over-exposure.

While the sunscreen is mostly applied by many people during the summer, wise people apply it all year round. As they know that even when it isnt sunny and the temperature isnt scorching, they need to use it to help eliminate and fade away the wrinkles on their face or aging signs.

Lutein can be a Natural Way to Protect Against Skin Cancer

Skin Care — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:14:20 +0000

According to the Centers of Disease control and Prevention (CDC), skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, can be treated and the success rate for recovery is very high. The third most common form of the disease, melanoma, is the most dangerous, especially among young people. They estimate that between 65-90% of melanomas are attributed to exposure to UV light. The CDC also reports that in 2005 8345 people died of melanoma.

There are a number of factors that can increase the risk of skin cancer. Some of these are a family history of the disease, a light natural skin color, blond or red hair, blue or green eyes and a history of sunburns at an early age.

Ultraviolet light (UV) is an invisible form of light and can come from several sources. The most common being the sun but also from tanning beds and sunlamps.

With the summer months upon us and more people outside in the sun we must think of how to protect against skin cancer. Due to recent studies there is good news that there is a natural way to help in this effort. Lutein has been found to help us do this from the inside.

For some time now lutein has been known for its ability to protect the eyes from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but there is new evidenence that it can also help protect one from the dangerous effects of UVB light and skin cancer.

Lutein can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale as well as in egg yolks. It is a potent antioxidant that may help protect our skin from the harmful effects of sun damage.

Dr Salvador Gonsalez of Harvard University led a study in this area. He is quoted as saying “Lutein has been widely recognized for its eye health benefits for several years. But, our data is the first of its kind to suggest that lutein may have the potential to act as a preventative agent against UVB-induced skin cancer. Dr Gonsalez goes on to say “In addition, these data suggest that lutein protects the skin against damage caused by exposure to UVB light, further validating our position that lutein is a critical component to overall skin health”.

Lutein is present in the eyes and skin of the human body.
Also it is found in the cervix and breasts of women. It acts as a powerful antioxidant protecting us from the effects of aging. It also has the effect of filtering light which helps protect us from the damaging effects of the sun. The body can not produce lutein and it must be obtained thru nutrition or supplementation.

There are two types of harmful rays found in sunlight, these are UVA and UVB. The first, UVA rays are responsible for contributing to the wrinkling of skin and the development of skin cancer. UVB rays are the ones that are primarily responsible for sunburn and skin cancer.

A good sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) can be effective in blocking both UVA and UVB rays, but there are some other things you must be aware of to protect yourself and your family.

- When in the sun wear wrap around UL-blocking sunglasses.
The reason for this is that over time exposure to UV light can cause cataracts and age-related macular degeneration which is an irreversible form of blindness.

- For parents, always protect your children’s skin. Studies have shown that even one severe sunburn can double the chance of skin cancer later in life.

- When applying sunscreen always check the expiration date.
Most have a shelf life of three years or less.

- Consumption of 6 mg. of lutein a day, either from diet or nutritional supplementation is recommended.

-Wear protective clothing to protect exposed skin and a wide brim hat to protect head, eyes, ears and neck.

- Seek shade during the hottest part of the day when UV light is most intensive.

In conclusion, while sunlight can be damaging there are also benefits to sunlight. This is where we also receive some of the vitamins our bodies require. Exposure to the sun should be done in moderation and by taking some of the steps that I described above to minimize the negative effects can also be a lot of fun. Enjoy your summer.