It is true that the skin needs some exposure to sunlight, it generates vitamin D which is crucial to strengthen bones and muscles, fight disease, depression and much more. It is also a fact that the skin can burn under UV ray exposure within just a few minutes, which will then lead to Sun Damage and many other risks.
UV rays can pose risks that can be short-lived, or there may be long-term effects and even potentially life-threatening situations. Among the temporary effects include erythema (redness), commonly referred to as sunburns and tanning of the skin, which will heal with time. On the other hand, long-term effects include premature aging, brown spots, broken capillaries on the skin, and much more. Serious conditions include skin cancer and even eye damage and cancer from not wearing sunglasses has also been attributed to UV rays.
So, if you need the sun’s rays to promote Vitamin D, but also need to be careful not to get too much exposure to prevent cancer and anti-aging, what do you do? That is where anti-oxidants come in!
What are Anti-Oxidants?
They are molecules that play the role of controlling free radicals, to prevent them from damaging our existing, healthy cells. Free radicals are unstable and try to steal electrons (energy) from our healthy cells. Once they do, our cells become damaged and unstable themselves, which is what leads to the whole host of issues mentioned above.
So, since we only have so much control over our exposure to free radicals, the solution is to incorporate more antioxidants into our skin care, as well as our diet, while also taking a good quality vitamin D supplement and limiting unprotected sun exposure.
Necessary Vitamins
Among the easily available sources of antioxidants include Vitamin A. This can be easily absorbed into the body through including into the diet foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, and broccoli. Vitamin C is another fantastic source. Add more foods like lemon, strawberries, pineapples, oranges, red peppers, etc. Other types of foods that are rich in antioxidants include Vitamin E, Carotenes and polyphenols. Enzymes also form part of antioxidants and for them to assemble in the body, you need to have a good supply of proteins into the body such as meat, dairy products, eggs, beans and nuts.
Make Simple Changes
We can’t spend our entire life without being in the sun, and let’s face it, we don’t want to. That is why it is important for everyone to take up available measures to mitigate the effects of sun rays on their skin. Antioxidants and sunscreen are easy, you just need to get into the habit of including them in your lifestyle.
Learn About Your Treatment Options with Revive
Revive offers many different treatment options for various skin issues you are looking to target. Treatments like IPL Photofacials and Morpheus8 microneedling are great to improve the appearance of your skin, while Laser Hair Removal reveals that beautiful skin without the burden of unwanted hair. Book your appointment today.