Anyone with SPF in their skincare regimen will tell you it’s the best way to prevent early signs of aging, like leathery texture, sun spots, and premature wrinkles. Where glowing, tanned skin was once a sign of health and beauty, it’s now understood that exposure to the sun can be highly negative to your skin’s health and appearance, not to mention its tendency towards cancerous activity. But why does regular SPF protection have cosmetic benefits? Here’s some information to consider while you update your daily moisturizer.
Sun Damage Effects Many Layers
If you’ve ever been sunburnt, you know that the skin has many different layers and doesn’t function as one, single barrier. All of these layers have unique functions in protecting your body, and it turns out that UV rays are powerful enough to damage deep down and make these layers less effective. There are five major areas that sun can damage, including the epidermis (the top layers), the dermis (the middle layer), the blood vessels, the sebaceous glands, and the melanocytes. If these deeper layers are damaged, it can be very difficult to repair them and to restore moisture and nutrients.
Photoaging Decomposes Collagen and Elastin
Collagen and elastin are proteins in the skin that are important to your skin’s elasticity and tautness. Because UV rays can penetrate deep into the skin, it reaches the collagen and elastin, causing abnormal production. This can mistakenly cause enzymes to decompose the collagen and elastin, reducing the supportive matrix within the skin that prevents wrinkles and sagging. This can be especially difficult to reverse as the body becomes even less effective at creating new collagen and elastin as it ages.
With the combination of these two things, long-term sun exposure can create wrinkles and damage that goes further than the surface. Thus, the best way to prevent wrinkles and premature aging is regular, daily moisturizing that includes protective SPF.
Dr. Dodde offers a full line of skincare products to help your skin get all of the good things it needs to stay healthy and radiant. Contact our office for more information or to schedule a consultation for our selection of skincare treatments.