I love the beach; the fresh air and sitting there enjoying my family and friends, watching the waves and smelling all the tropical coconut lotions and Hawaiian suntan oils. Being out in the beautiful sun enjoying longer and warmer days—that, to me, is summer.
We all like to soak up the sun and sit on the beach, but in reality, the truth hurts – or in this case – burns. Skin does age faster if you overdo it in the sun. We all know this by now and use sunscreens if we are out in the sun for long periods of time. But what does the sun really do to our skin when we are exposed to it for extended periods of time?
One of the questions my clients ask most often is, “Does the skin on the face age faster than the skin on the rest of the body?” It appears to, and the reality is, it is the way we treat our skin – not the aging process, that “ages” facial skin most.
Scientists explain it this way: There are two types of aging, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic (internal) aging is the rate of aging that occurs with the passage of time. Extrinsic (external) aging is intrinsic aging compounded by external causes such as sunlight, air pollution, and inflammation caused by harsh cleansers, rough treatments, hard water, and disease processes. Compounding extrinsic damage is basically the notion that, with age, your body’s ability to repair itself slows considerably. Children’s and teenager’s cells can repair themselves nearly perfectly from damage, but from age 20 to age 50 and beyond, the aging process begins to accelerate, because we no longer have this similar ability for perfect repair.
So when you are soaking up the rays of the sun and your skin gets inflamed or sunburned, it is very hard for the skin to repair itself. We see cellular damage in the form of wrinkles, sunspots and sagging skin. You do not see the aging process right away, but when you reach your forties and fifties, you will see visible signs of aging to the surface of the skin.
ANTIOXIDANTS TO THE RESCUE
Happily, our skin has allies in its constant fight against free-radical damage. With technologies in highly advanced skin care, scientists have discovered certain nutrients like antioxidants (a group that includes Vitamin C, amino acids, DMAE and Co-enzymes) that can stop or even reverse free-radical damage caused by too much sun. They will help heal and repair a good deal of the damage. The best advice I can give you is if you want to look tan, buy a great, natural-looking, gradual self tanner. Sit in the sun in moderation and use a high-grade skin care collection from licensed aestheticians. At The Rouge we carry only the highest clinical grade anti-aging products on the market. We have many creams formulated especially for repairing cellular damage caused by too much sun exposure. Keep some of these products in your beach bag this summer, and your skin will look youthful and gorgeous for years to come.
Theresa Taylor Grutzeck is the owner of the Rouge, Kiss and Make-up Studio, 822 Hartz Way, Danvile, CA 94526. Phone: 925-736-3900 and email: info@therougecosmetics.com
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