The effects of sun damage can seem subtle at first but add up over time. Thankfully, there are simple steps you can take to help nourish and protect healthy skin.
When you’re out enjoying a sunny day, you probably don’t realize what’s going on deep within your skin. While sunshine is beneficial in small amounts, the ultraviolet radiation from the sun can be damaging when you get too much. Negative effects from prolonged UV exposure can include uneven skin tone or texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. In fact, researchers estimate that as much as 90% of visible skin aging is caused by exposure to the sun (1). Even more concerning is that the damaging effects of the sun’s UV rays are cumulative, adding up throughout your lifetime (2).
What’s the Difference Between UVA and UVB Rays?
There are two basic types of UV rays that are important for skin health: UVA and UVB. UVA rays are sometimes called “aging” rays because they penetrate deep into your skin. The damage from UVA rays accounts for the majority of wrinkles and other visible signs of aging. The UVB, or “burning,” rays from the sun are most likely to cause sunburn from too much exposure. UVB rays cause damage to cells of the epidermis nearest to the skin’s surface, leading to the familiar redness and pain of a sunburn.
Wearing protective clothing and limiting your time outdoors during the brightest hours of the day is one way to protect your skin. Sunscreen is another important strategy to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. Using sunscreen every day with a minimum SPF of 15 can lead to 24% less skin aging compared to not using sunscreen regularly (3).
Nutrition To Support Healthy Skin
Avoiding excess time in the sun, wearing sun-protective clothing, and consistently using a quality sunscreen are important practices to protect your skin from damaging UV rays. Getting plenty of skin-loving nutrients can make these strategies even more effective by supporting your skin’s natural UV defenses.
Collagen Peptides
In the deepest layers of skin is a dense network of collagen fibers. These fibers build the foundation of a smooth and radiant complexion. Sun exposure damages the network of collagen fibers, leading to wrinkles and other visible signs of aging (4). Collagen Bone Broth combines highly bioavailable collagen peptides and vitamin C, an essential nutrient required for normal collagen synthesis, with other supporting nutrients to provide the body with collagen’s benefits (5, 6).
Omega-3s and Vitamins
Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins are also important for skin health. Getting enough dietary vitamin C and omega-3 can help protect skin from the impact of UV-related stress by neutralizing free radicals caused by UV radiation (7). Beta carotene is a form of antioxidant vitamin A found in orange and dark green vegetables. A diet rich in beta carotene helps to increase the amount of beta carotene in the deep layers of the skin, where it contributes to the skin’s defense against UV rays. Supplementing a healthy diet with the key nutrients found in the Complete Essentials™ Daily Pack can help support your skin’s natural defenses against UVA rays.
Fruits and Vegetables
One of the best sources of skin-loving nutrients is a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Beta carotene not only helps to support skin health but also gives your skin a warm, sun-kissed glow without any of the damaging effects of a suntan (8). Organic Greens is the perfect superfood experience packed with two full servings of vegetables per scoop. Made from a blend of non-GMO, organic, whole vegetables, Organic Greens provide whole foods-based nutrition to help you add more vegetables to your day.
While the effects of sun damage are cumulative, we receive most of our lifetime exposure to UV rays as adults (2). This means it’s never too late to start protecting your skin.
References
- Taylor CR, Stern RS, Leyden JJ, Gilchrest BA. Photoaging/photodamage and photoprotection. J Am Acad Dermatol 1990; 22:1-15.
- Godar DE, Urbach F, Gasparro FP, Van der Leun JC. UV doses of young adults. Photochem Photobiol 2003; 77(4):453-457.
- Hughes MCB, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2013; 158 (11):781-790.
- Chung JH, Seo JY, Choi HR, Lee MK, Houn CS, Rhie G, Cho KH, Kim KH, Park KC, Eun HC. Modulation of skin collagen metabolism in aged and photoaged human skin in vivo. J Invest Dermatol. 2001 Nov;117(5):1218-24.
- Pullar JM, Carr AC, Vissers MCM. The roles of vitamin C in skin health. Nutrients. 2017 Aug 12;9(8).
- Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and immune function. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 3;9(11).
- Sies H, Stahl W. Nutritional protection against skin damage from sunlight. Ann Rev Nutr. 2004;24:173-200.
- Pezdirc K, Hutchesson MJ, Whitehead R, Ozakinci G, Perrett D, Collins CE. Fruit, Vegetable and Dietary Carotenoid Intakes Explain Variation in Skin-Color in Young Caucasian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2015;7:5800-5815.