After a few months of enthusiastically greeting the summer months, something inevitable occurs: You start to notice signs of sun-damaged skin. Maybe your skin looks a little too rough. Its former smoothness is gone. Maybe your skin has a few new spots, or a couple wrinkles that look deeper than ever.
Never fear. Here are three ways to combat sun-damaged skin that you’ve likely to never have heard before:
1.) Eat and topically apply antioxidants.
People often think that slapping on an antioxidant-rich serum in the morning is enough antioxidant protection. But, in truth, if you want to recover sun-damaged skin, you not only need to topically apply antioxidants, you need to eat them as well.
In a study conducted by Mavi Cosmetics in Italy, 40 women were split into four groups. The first group was given a supplement called FloraGlo Lutein with antioxidants (10 mg lutein and 0.6 zeaxanthin). The second group was given a topical cream with lutein and zeaxanthin. The third group was given both the supplement and the topical cream. The fourth and final group was given placebo.
After 12 weeks, it was found that either the oral supplement or the cream improved skin elasticity, hydration, and protection against sun damage. However, the combination of oral and topical formulations boosted numbers the most — skin hydration by 60 percent and protection against sunburn by 20 percent (The Journal of Skin Pharmacology and Physiology)
In essence, this suggests that a combination of eating and topically applying ingredients to the skin may be most beneficial for sun-damaged skin.
Do the most good for your skin and eat antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables at each and every meal, especially during the late summer and early fall months, when your skin needs help in the recovery process.
2.) Avoid self-tanner. ONLY use bronzer.
If it wasn’t for the beautifying effect of delicately tanned skin, it is unlikely that anyone would ever get sun-damaged skin!
While tanning beds are the worst, subjecting tanners to up to three times the long-wavelength UVA rays of the sun, self-tanners aren’t much better.
Self-tanners can make your skin more susceptible to sun damage. With dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as the main ingredient in most self-tanners, the respected journal Spectrochimica Acta has found DHA in sunless tanners can increase free radicals by 180% upon getting sun exposure in the first 24 hours after application.
Considering that free radicals are responsible for oxidative damage, increasing free radicals by 180% may very well exacerbate the fine lines, wrinkling, sunspots, and sagging that are a part of sun-damaged skin. Worst yet, free radicals can result in lasting DNA damage.
So what to do? Avoid self-tanner with DHA as much as possible. Substitute with bronzer! And if you feel you absolutely must use self-tanner with DHA, then remove the likelihood of increased sun-damaged skin by applying sunscreen religiously for the 24 hours following the application of self-tanner with DHA.
3.) Use a custom ViaBuff exfoliator.
Exfoliating sun-damaged skin can make skin look instantly younger. When the skin is exposed to the sun, it can often can look patchy, rough, discolored, scaly, and lined. While you may think that this is the result of aged collagen, elastin, and fibrous structures within your skin, sun-damaged skin often looks aged because of only the top layers of skin. Once those layers are sloughed off, sun-damaged skin immediately looks smoother and less wrinkled! Exfoliating removes dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, and debris on the surface of the sun-damaged skin. Skin is left with smaller-looking pores. Other skin care products also penetrate the skin better.
To exfoliate sun-damaged skin, you need an exfoliating puff that is designed exclusively for your skin.
Choose from the following for face and body:
Level 1: Extra Gentle
Ideal for Oily Skin, Acne, Psoriasis
Level 2: Mild
Ideal for Normal Skin, Eczema
Level 3: Moderate
Ideal for Dry Skin, Ingrown Hairs, Keratosis Pilaris, Waxing
Level 4: Clinical
Ideal for Very Dry Skin
The ViaBuff is designed to be a gentle, effective way to remove dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, and debris on the surface of the skin, without using chemicals. The open-weave is customized to be safe and effective for exfoliation for sun-damaged skin!