Ever feel like you lather on the sunscreen but somehow you can just feel your skin prematurely aging? Even though you tried your best to protect it? Maybe you didn’t realize that sunscreen alone is not enough. Or that you need to apply sunscreen BEFORE you go outside so it can chemically bond with your skin.  “A little dab’ll do ya” will NOT be the protection you need. Make a giant glamorama hat your skin’s BFF for all days forward.

So what happens when your skin isn’t properly protected? Think free radical hailstorm. See the sunburn and redness. Feel pain? Premature aging starts at a cellular level post-sunburn.

FREE RADICALS

What are free radicals? They’re the unstable molecules in your skin that hitch a ride on your collagen layer, damaging it like some freaky kudzu vine smothering a tree.

These unstable molecules are formed when UVA and UVB rays contact your skin. They stabilize themselves by hooking up with other big attractive molecules – your collagen molecules to be exact. Yep- free radicals swipe right every single time a collagen molecule shows up nearby. 🙂

So why is that a problem? Free radicals damage your collagen molecules when they hook up with them. Your collagen layer gets thinner and looks crepe-y and wrinkled instead of thick and smooth.

“Hanson found that the stratum corneum – the skin’s main protective barrier against environmental assault – generated a tremendous number of free radicals when exposed to ultraviolet light. “These free radicals caused considerable damage to both the cytoplasm and the lipid matrix,” she said. “The cytoplasm of the lower epidermis was also dramatically damaged.”

Study Shows Antioxidants Play Vital Role In Protecting Skin,  Date: September 3, 2001, Source:University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN

So what can you do about it? Use a good physical sunscreen so the UV radiation doesn’t come into contact with your skin.

Can you ever be sure that you’ve completely covered every square inch of skin? Nope.

That’s where antioxidants (sunscreen super-boosters) enter the scene. Where your sunscreen fails to protect and block UV radiation, antioxidants step in as your plan B, kicking butt on the free radicals that are formed.

Which antioxidants boost your sunscreen protection the most? Vitamin C wins hands-down but vitamin E is powerful as well – and both perform better with a helping of ferulic acid.

“CONCLUSION: CEFer (C, E, and Ferulic Acid) provided substantial UV photoprotection for skin. It is particularly effective for reducing thymine dimer mutations known to be associated with skin cancer. Its mechanism of action is different from sunscreens and would be expected to supplement the sun protection provided by sunscreens.”

J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008 Sep;59(3):418-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2008.05.004. Epub 2008 Jul 7.A topical antioxidant solution containing vitamins C and E stabilized by ferulic acid provides protection for human skin against damage caused by ultraviolet irradiation.

Murray JC¹, Burch JA, Streilein RD, Iannacchione MA, Hall RP, Pinnell SR.

So YES, never forget your sunscreen! And YES make sure you’ve got some antioxidant back-up to keep the free radicals out of your life.  Keep up with this routine and say good-bye to the wrinkles, brown spots and collagen damage that free radicals cause.

ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION FOR YOUR SKIN

We offer a variety of antioxidant products that will act as your security detail when the cray-cray free radicals come calling: Vitamin C+ Firming serum,  CSRx Antioxidant Defense Complex, all of our Transforming Infusion product line plus Antioxidant Perfecting Cleanser and Toner.

Each of these layer perfectly under sunscreen. No balling up or weird texture changes – just a big added boost of free radical protection.

“Theoretically, supplementing sunscreens with antioxidants could boost the body’s natural defense against the formation of UVA-induced free radicals; therefore serving as a second layer of protection against UV radiation that passes through the first layer of UV protection.””

04 August 2011 American Academy of Dermatology New study supports recommendation to use broad-spectrum sunscreen for protection against skin cancer and early aging

Remember to apply your antioxidant favorite first. Second, apply your favorite physical sunscreen BEFORE you go out in the sun so it can properly bond with your skin.

As always, I welcome all your comments and questions.

Kindly, Patricia

#LoveYourSkin #ActiveIngredientsThatWork