WITH sunny days comes UV rays, which can cause some serious damage to our skin.
Although a healthy summer glow is something many of us crave, the aftermath of this sun exposure can be pretty severe.
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Dr Omar Tillo, the CREO Clinic’s medical director, says “UV rays from the sun can cause damage to the skin in many ways”.
While some damage occurs within hours, such as sunburn, over time the effects can be more telling – skin cancer, wrinkles, age spots and more.
Dr Tillo says the sun’s damage to the skin include “speeding up the decline of our skin fibres, collagen and elastin, which can lead to wrinkles and sagging of the skin”.
As our biggest organ, it’s important we care for and protect our skin.
Yet research by Nivea Sun and Cancer Research UK has found that 21 per cent in the UK say they don’t take more care in the sun in summer or spring compared to winter and autumn months.
There are ways you can care for skin that’s been damaged by the sun to prevent any further effects.
Give these expert tips a try…
1. Aloe there!
Even if you religiously apply suncream, sunburn could still sneak up on you.
With every sunburn, you raise your risk of skin cancer.
Sunburns occur when the UV rays – either from the sun or sunbeds -damages the DNA inside skin cells, which triggers a release of inflammatory proteins.
The blood vessels dilate to help these proteins get to the damaged skin and help health it, making the skin look red.
Sasha Core, award-winning skincare expert, says: “Soothe sunburned skin by applying a budget-friendly aloe vera gel.
“Aloe vera has incredible cooling properties that can help reduce redness and inflammation.
“You can find pure aloe vera gels at drugstores or online without spending a lot.”
Aloe Pura Laboratories Organic Aloe Vera Gel for an affordable way to soothe skin.
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2. Broadly protected
We don’t need to remind you to meticulously apply sunscreen, however, the type of sunscreen you apply is pivotal.
“The most crucial step in preventing further damage is to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (containing both UVA and UVB protection) with SPF 30 or higher as part of your daily skincare regime,” says Dr Tillo.
For some, pigmentation is semi-permanent and fades when out of the sun for a prolonged period and for some it stays year round
Abi Cleeve
Plus, if your sunscreen is part of your moisturiser, Dr TIllo recommends using a moisturiser that contains other ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide and glycerin.
These can help to hydrate the skin and restore its natural moisture barrier, which can be compromised by sun exposure.
3. Enjoy antioxidants
Whether it’s in your skincare or your food, antioxidants are the skin’s best friend.
Once an unaffordable addition to skin care, Dr Tillo says: “there are now more affordable skincare lines that include antioxidant serums like vitamin C, vitamin E, resveratrol, or green tea extract, which can help combat free radicals and reduce the oxidative stress caused by sun damage”.
Your diet can be rich in antioxidants too.
Turn to dark chocolate (ideally 70 per cent cacao and over), green veg such as broccoli and spinach, and purple foods.
Blueberries are sky-high in antioxidants; try throwing a handful into a smoothie or scatter on top of Greek yoghurt for breakfast.
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4. Prevent pigmentation
Noticed some disclosoured patches on your skin as you’ve gotten older?
Abi Cleeve, Founder of SkinSense, says: “After the risk of skin cancer, one of the long term consequences of sun damage is pigmentation.
“Pigmentation is a top skin worry for many as an uneven skin tone can be ageing.
“Brown patches of pigmentation which appear on hands, face and décolletage areas are caused specifically by UVA rays which penetrate deep into your skin.
“These rays stimulate the melanocytes (dark cells that are there to protect us) and they may become more visible.
“For some it (pigmentation) is semi-permanent and fades when out of the sun for a prolonged period and for some it stays year round.”
Aside from using an SPF with a high UVA filter (ideally 90 per cent or above) year-round on your face, Abi recommends adding products that contain hexylresorcinol, vitamin C, retinol or niacinamide to your nighttime skincare routine.
She says: “These all contribute to mitigating existing pigmentation and preventing more occurrences, and can brighten and support the texture of the skin’s appearance.”
Dr Tillo adds that there’s also prescription-only hydroquinone which can combat pigmentation. Visit your doctor to discuss.
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5. Gut instinct
You are what you eat, and probiotics don’t just do our gut a world of good, they can also help our skin.
In fact, our skin has its own microbiome; the collection of microorganisms, both good and bad, that are needed to stay healthy.
Probiotics are live bacteria taken to support gut health.
Research has found probiotics could also help reduce skin damage caused by UV rays, potentially because skin health is linked to the gut.
Prebiotics on the other hand are essentially types of fibre that feed good bacteria and help them to thrive.
Try Dr Vegan’s Skin Saviour supplement which contains a variety of live probiotics, prebiotics, and botanicals designed to keep your gut, and in turn your skin, as healthy as it can be.
Be wary of…
Although retinol has been dubbed as the holy grail of reversing the signs of ageing caused by the sun, Amish Patel, Skincare Expert at Intrigue Cosmetic Clinic recommends cutting down on retinol products over the summer months or before a holiday abroad.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
He says: “Vitamin A (also known as retinol) can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.”
If you do choose to use retinol in the summer months, Amish recommends using a sunblock at all times and keeping your face under cover to avoid sun damage and burning.
What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it?
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe – wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple “ABCDE” rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
- Swollen and sore
- Bleeding
- Itchy
- Crusty
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person’s disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
“We don’t know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,” says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
- Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 – when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin – will survive for five years or more after diagnosis.This drops to 80 per cent for stage 2.
- Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun’s rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin’s DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.