Sunlight Aging: How to Prevent the Sun from Aging Your Skin

The sun, with its warm rays and inviting glow, is a source of life. Yet, beneath its glow lies a silent culprit: ultraviolet (UV) light. Exposure to UV radiation from the sun is one of the primary contributors to a process known as sunlight aging, or photoaging.

Photoaging, characterized by premature aging of the skin, manifests in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, and loss of elasticity. Understanding how UV radiation accelerates skin aging is essential for adopting preventive measures to maintain skin health and youthful appearance throughout life.

In this post, we are going to talk specifically about skin damage related to pores, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation caused by the sun!

Wrinkles : How does the sunlight cause wrinkles?

UV radiation from sun exposure can destroy proteins (collagen and elastin) in our skin. These proteins play a significant role in making our skin firm, supple, and resilient. When our skin is exposed to the sun unprotected continuously, the damage will accumulate quickly and form aging signs such as wrinkles. The aging signs a.k.a wrinkles might have come later in life but due to the continuous sun exposure, it came sooner than it should.

Enlarged pores: How does the sunlight damage our pores?

Besides wrinkles, compromised skin elasticity due to chronic sun exposure will also lead to enlarged pores. As the skin loses its elastin fibers due to chronic sun exposure, skin crevices will be formed and pores will look enlarged.

Hyperpigmentation: How does the sunlight cause hyperpigmentation?

The chronic sun exposure leads to activation of melanin production (pigments on our cells). The melanin is actually produced as a protective response, which is a natural defense mechanism. However it will result in hyperpigmented patches on the skin

All of these skin problems caused by excessive unprotected sun exposure can be avoided when you use sun protection religiously! Unprotected sun exposure can accumulate and damage your skin sooner than you might think.

If you don’t want to use sunscreen because you haven’t found the best sunscreen and don’t feel comfortable using your existing sunscreen, let me tell you that the best sunscreen is the one that you WANT to use every day! So keep on using the sunscreen you have now and keep seeking one that you want to use every day.

Let me share with you the criteria of sunscreens you might want to seek for:

     -Ultra-light & airy texture

     -Smooth & Soothing

     -Fast-absorbing & non-sticky

Other tips:

     -Use sunglasses: Protection and shield the eyes and surrounding skin from UV rays

     -Wear protective clothing: Wear long sleeved shirts, pants, or wide-brimmed hars

     -Seek for shades: Avoid direct sunlight especially during peak UV hours (10am - 4pm). 
                                     Seek for shades under trees or umbrellas