If you think a little sunscreen before heading into intense sun for hours will keep you safe from overexposure to the sun… nothing could be further from the truth.
Most sunscreens block UV-B light, the light that causes sunburn. But most do NOT block UV-A light, and it is overexposure to UV-A light which accelerates photo aging of your skin.
When you spend a long time in the sun, unprotected from UV-A, this type of radiation can chemically transform and excite certain acids in your skin that then contribute to photo aging pigmentation changes. That means “age spots” and discoloration.
And it means lines, wrinkles and sagging skin.1
Today, I’ll show you one simple nutrient that helps you beat sun damage and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.
Does Your Sunscreen Contain this Toxic Chemical?
Many sunscreens still use a compound called PABA. This chemical actually increases photo aging because it inhibits your skin’s ability to repair cellular damage. And there is another reason you should avoid PABA: Many people are allergic and get a rash which looks like a sunburn and further inflames and damages skin.
As the Boston University study showed, overexposure to sunlight can also generate free radicals. And that can damage skin cells and reduce the amount of antioxidants present in your skin, specifically vitamin C, vitamin E, and CoQ10.2
The effect of sunlight on the antioxidants present in the skin is important.
While moderate sun exposure actually helps to increase antioxidants present in the skin, inappropriate ratios of UV-A radiation or overexposure consumes and lowers antioxidant levels in your skin.
This tells us in part how sunlight can damage your skin… and it helps us find ways to counteract the process.
Your body uses vitamin C to make collagen. Collagen forms a kind of latticework or scaffolding as the basis of your skin’s structure. When you have healthy collagen, you have taunt, smooth and toned skin.
But when any factor damages your skin’s collagen, your skin loses its scaffolding, sags and begins to wrinkle. With a deficiency of vitamin C, this process goes on unchecked without repair.
Additionally, vitamin C is critical to many of your skin’s other maintenance and repair processes. When your skin lacks adequate vitamin C, these processes are retarded, slowing repair and contributing to aging of your skin.
In other words, if you don’t get enough vitamin C, your skin suffers. But when you get plenty of vitamin C, research shows it does more than just the basics.
Vitamin C Stops Lines and Wrinkles and Helps Keep Your Skin Supple and Hydrated
British researchers examined the skin more than 4,000 American women between the ages of 40 and 74. The women who got more vitamin C showed fewer wrinkles and less dryness.3
As we age, our body’s ability to make collagen decreases. But a team at Duke University discovered that vitamin C reverses this trend.
They took skin cells from both newborns and retirees and added vitamin C. When they did, the cells divided much faster… even cells from 93-year-olds.
The researchers concluded that vitamin C helps your body beat the drop in collagen production.4
Studies also show that vitamin C supports an important immune system function.
Your skin is your immune system’s first line of defense. A strong skin barrier keeps attacking microbes out. But it can also help keep healthy moisture in.
And a study from The British Journal of Nutrition shows that vitamin C supports a healthier skin barrier.5
For best results, take 2,000mg to 4,000mg of vitamin C per day in divided doses. Take with food to avoid gastric upset but keep in mind that carbs can interfere with vitamin C uptake.
1. Hanson KM and Simon JD. (1998) Epidermal transurocanic acid and the UV-A induced photoaging of the skin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95(18): 10576-78
2. Yamamoto Y. (2001) Role of active oxygen species and antioxidants in photoaging. J Dermatol Sci 27 Suppl 1: S1-4
3. Cosgrove MC, et al. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American wom- en1,2,3,4. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 4, 1225-1231, October 2007.
4. Phillips CL, et al. Effects of Ascorbic Acid on Proliferation and Collagen Synthesis in Relation to the Donor Age of Human Dermal Fibroblasts. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1994) 103, 228–232.
5. Maggini S, et al. Selected vitamins and trace elements support immune function by strengthening epithelial barriers and cellular and humoral immune responses. Br J Nutr. 2007 Oct;98 Suppl 1:S29-35.