Causes of Aging---The Sun and What Does SPF Really Mean?
Causes of Aging---The Sun and What Does SPF Really Mean
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Just by comparing your skin on the inside of your arm with the skin on the top of your arm will show you exactly what the sun has done to your skin over time. If you are like most people, including myself, the skin on the inside is smooth, clear and free of marks, while the skin on the outside is freckled, dry, finely lined and dotted with brown spots. Your left arm is most likely worse than your right arm from driving.
Everyone thinks having a tan makes you look "healthy" and years of media have taught us to want a tan to look better. Fact: there is no such thing as a healthy tan. Exposure to the sun damages skin and is one of the top causes of aging. The pigment you are seeing as a tan is the skin's injury from being damaged.
Out of the three types of UV rays, UVA, UVB and UVC, the UVA rays are the "aging" rays with the longest wavelength penetrating deep into the skin to destroy the collagen and elastin. So then what happens? Wrinkles, sagging and those horrid brown spots. So out of all the causes of aging, the sun is so extremely damaging. You may even have white spots from persistent sun damage that causes some of the pigment producing cells to die.
There are six skin types that categorize your burn risk or how vulnerable you are to the sun's UV rays.
Type IVery fair skin: Tendency to have freckles and burns very easily, almost never tans. Red or light blond hair, blue or green eyes.
Type IIFair skin: Skin always burns and can tan slightly. Blond or light brown hair, blue or brown eyes.
Type IIILight olive skin: Sometimes burns, usually tans. Brown hair and brown or green eyes.
Type IVDarker olive skin: Rarely burns, tans easily. Dark brown eyes and hair. Can still suffer from UV damage.
Type VBrown to light black skin: Dark brown eyes and hair. Not as vulnerable to UV related aging, but still needs sunscreen during intense or prolonged exposure.
Type VIDarker black-brown skin: With black-brown hair and eyes. Does not burn easily, but should still use sunscreen to reduce skin aging.
So what really is SPF and why do we need to know? It is roughly a personal estimate of the time you can spend in the sun before getting burned. For example, if you are fair and burn in 10 minutes, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will allow you to be in the sun 15 times ten minutes or 150 minutes before getting burned. Sunscreen is how we conquer the sun as one of the biggest causes of aging. So, the higher the SPF, the longer you can stay in the sun and not get burned, BUT, it doesn't protect from the more dangerous and aging UVA rays(associated with melanoma), it only protects us from the UVB, burning rays. Be sure to check the labeling on your sunscreen for UVA protection especially on your facial sunscreens. So, just because you have sunscreen on does not mean you can stay in the sun all day for prolonged periods of time.
*When sunscreen is applied correctly, SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays; SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays and SPF 50 blocks 99% of UVB rays. So you can see an SPF of over 50 is not necessary.
One common misconception about the sun is that what you see is all that you get. When in actuality, the sun you get from sitting in a sunny office or driving down the highway can be more damaging. Also, 80% of the sun's rays penetrate clouds on gloomy days. Daily sunscreen is so important and it's never too late to start protecting yourself from the sun.
For more breakthrough information, claim your free Anti Aging Skincare Report to learn more closely guarded secrets to achieving a flawless complexion and turn back the hands of time. Get your free report now by going to www.transformyourskin.biz .
Bibliography
*Rodan, Katie and Fields, Kathy(2010)Write Your Skin A Prescription for Change Pair O' Docs Publishing
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