Sunshine – as much as we enjoy it, it is responsible for up to 80% of our skin aging. Until recently, it was believed that only the higher energy UVB rays could cause skin cancer and sunburn. However, recent studies have shown that the lower-energy UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin. Therefore, UVA radiation is now also held responsible for the development of melanomas, as well as for the formation of wrinkles and skin irritation. In the following, we will try to explain what UV radiation triggers in the skin skin and how you can enjoy the sun with a little more peace of mind.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UV light is electromagnetic radiation and is not visible to the human eye. It reaches the earth via solar radiation and is divided into three wavelengths:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The skin can protect itself by automatically thickening the horny layer (stratum corneum) through the accelerated rate of cell division during prolonged sun exposure. Stimulated by \u00a0UVB rays, melanin (pigments) are formed in the epidermis, which help protect the skin. UVB rays also stimulate the formation of vital vitamin D in the skin.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, this self-protection is limited and UVA and UVB can destroy the chemical bonds if you spend a long time in the sun. This in turn, can lead to cell death, vascular dilatation in the subcutaneous tissue and damage to the DNA and can, for example, damage collagen or elastin fibers in the skin and thus lead to premature skin aging. Sun or age spots can also appear.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The formation of free radicals also increases the risk of skin cancer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Free radicals are ‘damaged atoms’, unstable molecules that are missing an electron. The body creates free radicals in response to external or internal stress. The formation is triggered, among other things, by UV exposure, smoking or inflammation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If the body cannot process or remove the free radicals effectively, this can lead to so-called oxidative stress, which can damage cells and body functions and, among other things, induce premature skin aging.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sun protection should therefore be part of daily skin care.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In addition to numerous different types – from cream to lotion, from gel to spray – a distinction is made primarily according to the mode of action of the sunscreens.<\/p>\n
There are two major categories of sunscreens:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mineral filters usually consist of tiny particles of metal oxides that form a protective layer on the surface of the skin and reflect UV radiation like tiny little mirrors. Because UV radiation is reflected or scattered, it cannot penetrate the deeper layers of the skin.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mineral filters are white, especially in the case of higher SPFs. They have also been available as nanoparticles for a number of years.<\/p>\n
Benefits<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Disadvantages<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chemical UV filters absorb into the skin and together with it form the protective film. Unlike mineral filters, they do not reflect harmful rays, but absorb them and convert them into harmless energy (infrared light and heat).<\/p>\n
The way it works is a little more complicated: in the electron shell of the UV filter, the electrons float around the atomic nucleus and establish bonds with other atoms. Penetrating light with its UV rays can loosen such bonds of electrons and rearrange the electrons without the atoms involved flying apart in all directions. The compound goes into an “excited state”. Because “internal resistance” has to be overcome in the electron shells, some energy is lost. When returning to the initial state, the compound does not emit UV light again, but radiation with less energy: harmless infrared light and ultimately heat.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chemical UV filters also have advantages and disadvantages:<\/p>\n
Benefits:<\/p>\n
Disadvantages:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are also UV filters in nature. A particularly effective one comes from the alga porphyra umbilicalis. This alga grows near the shore and is exposed to extreme weather with very high solar radiation. Over millennia, this alga has adapted to its environment and now features so-called MAA: mycosporin-like amino acids (microbial sun filters).<\/p>\n
MAAs have effective antioxidant molecules. Similar to how a chemical UV filter works, these antioxidant molecules make it possible to stabilize free radicals in their ring structure.<\/p>\n
All MAAs absorb ultraviolet wavelengths, typically between 310 and 362nm. This helps protects the DNA from UV damage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Antioxidants are substances that can stop or slow down cell damage caused by free radicals. They release one or more of their electrons to free radicals in order to stabilize them and are therefore also referred to as ‘radical scavengers’.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sun protection is becoming more and more important and should therefore be part of daily facial care.<\/p>\n
When it comes to sunbathing in particular, studies have shown that most people do not apply enough sunscreen: on average, an adult needs at least 35ml of cream to properly protect their entire body.<\/p>\n
Regarding the right product, you should orientate yourself on your individual skin type.<\/p>\n
In general, it is important to avoid excessive sunbathing and to use combinations of different sun protection: textiles (with clothing and<\/p>\n
headgear) + sunglasses + sunscreens.<\/p>\n
Caution also applies on cloudy days, because UVA rays penetrate the cloud cover.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sunshine – as much as we enjoy it, it is responsible for up to 80% of our skin aging. Until recently, it was believed that only the higher energy UVB rays could cause skin cancer and sunburn. However, recent studies have shown that the lower-energy UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":57109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88605"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88606,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88605\/revisions\/88606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hyapur.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}