Tag: Sunscreens

Different Skin Care Problems And Their Treatment

The skin can make or break a persons appearance. One can have the perfect features but without the flawless skin to go with it, you wont be able to stand out in the crowd.

Despite the exodus of products in the market that help in caring for the skin, there are still a lot of people who are not in the best shape when it comes to their skin. Treating the skin can be a problem especially when you are not aware of what the cause and the nature of the problem.

Below are some of the most basic and common skin problems, their causes and their solutions. Read on and you might get some great advice about it.

1. Wrinkles and lines

This is perhaps the number one fear of most people lines and wrinkles, which are signs of aging. Besides growing old, this is also caused by too much exposure to the sun as well as repeated use of muscles.

Solution:
Early intervention is perhaps the best solution. Always wear sunblock, which will protect your skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Sunscreens that have SPH 15 and higher protect your skin from both UVB and UVA. Get a sunscreen that will also moisturize your skin. This is especially true with people who have dry skins.

2. Enlarged pores

Although this is not really much of a problem as compared to wrinkles and lines in the face, some people are still worried about this as large pores are more prone to acne and pimple problems. This is because dead skin cells and grime tend to clog the pores, leading to acne.

Solution:
There is actually nothing that one can do with large pores as we are gifted with this from birth. The only thing that one can do is to prevent the clogging of the pores by removing make-up and washing your face before going to sleep. UV rays can also cause the opening of the pores so it is important to protect your skin well.

3. Dark Spots

This has actually been the problem of people who are already in their middle ages. Still, with the extreme heat of the sun and peoples penchant for sunbathing, many young people nowadays have developed dark spots on their skin. Dark spots are the result of the overactive production of melanin as a response to extreme heat.

Solution:
Sunscreen. Sunscreen. Sunscreen. Need we say more?
One should also look for products that have vitamin C and E, which helps in preventing brown spots.

Caring for The Skin with Vitamin C

Vitamins are essential in keeping the skin healthy. In fact, there are a lot of beauty and skin care products in the market that use these natural vitamins and minerals as their ingredients. Vitamin C, is said to be one of the vitamins that is very beneficial in helping the skin regenerate.

In order to be used on the skin, Vitamin C is transformed to L-ascorbic acid. This form, however, is pretty unstable and is in fact so hard to be used in cosmetics. This is perhaps the reason why there is only a few cosmetic products that carry Vitamin C when compared to other vitamins like A and E. Still, chemists are trying to find ways as this form is found to stimulate collagen synthesis on the skin. Unlike other vitamins, it is also able stay in the skin for as long as three days as well as prevents a reaction called UV immunosuppression, often seen in 90 percent of cancer patients in the country.

In looking for Vitamin C in products, make sure that it contains a stable L-ascorbic form and a low pH level. Highly concentrated products are also recommended. Remember that just because a product advertises Vitamin C on it front level, it does not mean that it contains the kind or the form (L-ascorbic acid) that your skin can use.

Vitamin C as shield from the sun

Vitamin C, as mentioned above, serves as a good shield from the sun, which harms the skin by drying it up and causing wrinkles and lines to show up. Vitamin C does this by neutralizing the reactive oxygen or free radicals, which is often caused by the interaction of sunlight, skin tissues and of course the cell membrane. But though it revents the absorption of light, it should not be used to replace sunscreen. Skin care experts still recommend the use of sunscreen for maximum sun protection. Still, vitamin C can be combined with sunscreens for more coverage and longer protection because once this gets into the skin, it cannot be easily washed or rubbed off.

Vitamin C as an anti-oxidant

Vitamin C is known to play a crucial role in the oxidation process. It prevents free radicals from destroying the skin. Free radicals are caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun and its reaction with oxygen.

Vitamin C stimulates Collagen

The vitamin helps synthesize collagen, a component of the skin that is essential in slowing down the aging process of the skin. L-ascorbic acid signals the collagen genes to begin creating new collagen

Sun Skin Damage -Sunscreen And Lots Of It

There has long been cautions and warnings about how prolonged exposure to the sun can cause sun skin damage. But who wants to stay inside on a nice, warm , sunny, summer day? Not too many!

So what is the answer? Sunscreen and lots of it.

Did you know, though, that most people don’t use sun screen correctly? They go out and they put it all over their bodies one time and think they will be protected all day.

Some sunscreens may be able to protect you for an extended period of time but you should always reapply it every few hours. Some wash off in the water if you add swimming to your summer day and some are affected by sweat.

Always read the label and follow the directions closely to avoid sun skin damage, especially when children are involved.

Let’s talk about the sun’s rays for a minute. There are two main types that affect your skin: UVA and UVB

UVA rays are the ones that can cause age spots and other skin discolorations. You may not even realize that this is skin damage, but it is, and was caused by the sun shining on unprotected skin when you were younger.

UVB rays are the ones that cause you to get a sunburn. If you notice that your skin is red and painful after a day out in the sun, you have damaged your skin. The redness will fade after a few days but you will notice that after a week or two your skin will begin to “peel”. This is usually not a painful process but you will not like the way it looks.

Always use sunscreen! Even on cloudy days the sun’s rays can affect your skin. They pass right through the clouds so do not be fooled into thinking that you are safe.

Too many sunburns and/or prolonged exposure to the sun without being protected can lead to a more serious condition like skin cancer and premature aging of the skin.

Sunscreen comes in several different levels and you can find them everywhere this time of year. The lowest protection factor is 4 on up to at least 50 maybe even higher. Sun tan oils are different and do not provide any protection from the suns rays.

Tanning booths or beds are no better than lying in the sun. In fact, they can be even more harmful and can cause eye damage, accelerated premature aging, immune system suppression and they can even cause allergic reactions as well as skin damage.

To avoid sun skin damage, you should stay out of the sun from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. These are the hours of the day are when the rays of the sun are most damaging. If you cannot avoid the sun at these times then you should at least try to limit the time that your skin is exposed by finding a nice shady spot to sit in and/or protecting yourself by wearing sunscreen.