Lesson 3: Sun and your Skin

Lesson 3 is about how your skin makes colour (aka get tan) and what are ingredients that helps fight UV damage. It was quite an eye-opener as I was shocked at how many products, out in the market right now, contain controversial ingredients. Scary!

My Rome trip, June 2011

The Sun can be a really scary thing! We get tanned, we form wrinkles and our skin age due to long exposure to the UV rays of the sun. Two of the most infamous rays that harm our skins are UVA and UVB.

To cut things short, UVA penetrates the upper layers of our skin, stimulating our melanocytes and thus making us darker. This particular ray is the main culprit of us getting wrinkles, freckles and spots, and the leathery texture of the skin (due to intense and long exposure).

UVB, compared to its big bro, is of shorter wave-length. It stops at the surface of the skin causing us to get burnt and peel. Ouch.

How do I prevent such damage then?
The familiar SPF, or sun protection factor, tackles mainly the UVB. The higher the number, the longer the amount of time you get this protection. The number does not naturally equate to the strength of protection! Let's give an example. Say, if I go under this particular amount of UVB without any sun protection on, I get sun burnt in 10 minutes. With SPF 15, I will take 15 times as long (or, 150 minutes) to burn!

UVA, however, does not get blocked out by SPF. Look for products that label PA after the SPF numeral. The more + behind PA, the better! (PA+++). Since the term PA is mostly used in Japan and some parts of Asia, look for phrases like "broad spectrum of UVA/UVB protection".

What to look out for in sunscreens and products?
There are two main kinds of sunscreen - physical and chemical.

Physical sunscreen (the good) includes zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These make your sunscreen have a white and powdery texture. Physical sunscreens are also the best sunscreens as they do not have much side effects.

Chemical sunscreens (the bad) on the other hand can actually be quite dangerous to us. Some of them (like homosalate) are hormone disruptors that can affect our our bodies when used on a daily basis (omg). Other chemical sunscreen include:

• Avobenzone – sunlight breaks down this into unknown chemicals that can penetrate deep into the skin
• Octocrylene – produces oxygen radicals when exposed to UV light, causes mutations, cell death.
• Ocyl Methoxycinnamate – moderately hazardous (not good at all), biochemical and cellular level changes, affects the endocrine system (hormones), most commonly used sunscreen ingredients. Can disrupt thyroid gland and brain signaling.
• Padimate-o – this chemical releases free radicals, damages DNA and has estrogenic activity, can cause photo-allergic reactions in some

Here are just a few examples of harmful chemical sunscreens. Sadly, the list goes on and on. Here is the list of them (other than zinc oxide and titanium oxide):

The properties of the chemicals can be found by searching them on http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ (Environment Working Group)

Is the tanning bed recommended? 
Most tanning beds use UVA as it is the ray that brings on the tan. However, as people usually use the tanning beds in an air-conditioned salon, there is a likelihood that we might be under the intense light for too long unknowingly. What more, you're pre-maturely ageing your skin!

So how can I get a tan and not damage the skin?
Fake tans. Fake tans contains some ingredients (DHA - dihydroxyacetone) that interacts with the skin to give you that bronzed skin. This lasts for a few days as the chemical only tackles the very top surface of the skin.

That's all for today's lesson!

Next up, laser treatments and IPL!

Lesson 1: Anti-ageing – Facts vs. Myths
Lesson 2: ACNE! What is it, how to prevent it and debunking myths!

Cheers,
HL

Lesson 1: Anti-Ageing – Facts vs Myths

I have some interesting news. I am taking an elective science module – Beauty and the Myths – this semester in school! This module (by the School of Biological Sciences), like its title, demystifies the many beauty products and claims with scientific knowledge and backings.

As this module occurs once a week, I will be sharing the knowledge that I have taken home with you guys. I will not be including every single thing from the lecture, but more of what I think is relevant plus other more important info that I have researched on before sharing.

So let's get on with it!

Ageing Skin

When your skin ages, so does the connective tissue beneath it. When this happens, your skin loses strength, elasticity and a reduction of collagen production and hyaluronic acid (forming wrinkles). Oil glands produce less sebum and this makes it harder for the skin to keep moist, resulting in dryness and itchiness. A more mature skin also heals slower than younger skin making it more susceptible to infections. Our faces lose fat (and natural lipids that retain moisture) underneath our skins and sag.

The 7 signs of Ageing skin:

• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Rough skin
• Uneven skin tone
• Dull skin
• Visible pores
• Blotches and age spots 
• Dryness

It is widely-known that we should always protect our skin from the sun by lathering on sunscreen-laden products, or physically via an umbrella or hat. This is because sun damage contributes to almost 80% of skin-ageing where the collagen and elastin in skin are broken down due to the UV radiation (mostly from sun and also from artificial sources). It causes a premature ageing of our skin.


Mr. McElligott here has been driving his truck to work at the same timing almost daily. After almost 30 years, this was what happened. The side of this face that was perpetually exposed to the sun showed extensive skin damage. [Source]




Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
Important jelly-like substance that helps transport all the nutrients from your bloodstream to the skin and can be found naturally in the human body. They can be found in the highest concentrations around the eyes and joints. HA can be produced in the lab using bacteria and is used in food/cosmetics to help retain moisture and is crucial to the structural integrity of the collagen matrix in the skin. It is an effective topical humectant and is also mostly known as an effective moisturizer and some use it as a healing agent for burns, ulcers and wounds.

HA is also used as a filler for a less invasive cosmetic procedure that is temporary.

Popular brand that uses HA: Hada Labo

Collagen

Being a large complex protein, it is unable to penetrate the skin. Even fragments of it or smaller molecules are unable to go through the skin... which means... topical collagen has no effectiveness. 

Vitamin C, however, increases the production of collagen. But in order for it to work, you need a high concentration (expensive) of it and it needs to be in an acidic environment. Vit C is highly degradable and exposure to air (opening the lid of the product) exposes it to oxidization quickly. It is best to have a regular consumption of Vit C (not in abundance as it will only get washed out) in its natural form as it could be a source of anti-oxidant as well.

Other good-to-knows
"Dermatologist tested" or  "Clinically tested" can mean a whole many things. It could be that this product has been applied to a patient's skin in a clinic or a real clinical study. It gives the consumer an impression that the product is reliable and "tested".

"FDA-approved". When a product is FDA-approved, it has to mean that every step of the production of it is proven to be safe, valid and effective. However, cosmetics products are not allowed to include this approval in their labeling to prohibit against false claims or it acting as advertising.


Alright! That's all I have for you today. Hopefully it is of any use to you guys :)

The next lecture would be – Acne and Pimples.

Cheers,
HL