The Skin Science Mic Drop
Did you know the sun’s ultraviolet rays are responsible for 80% of the damage to your skin all year round? Damage is everything from premature ageing, wrinkles, age spots and sensitivity, all the way to skin cancer. And 90% of skin cancers are caused by the sun. We could end this here, but there are some important facts you need to know.
Real Skincare
It’s true that, as much as we love the sun, UV rays bombard our skin with harmful UV rays all day, every day. Come winter, autumn, spring or summer. You can’t see or feel it happening and it doesn’t even matter what the temperature is outside.
Real skincare is about protecting yourself all year round, no matter the occasion. But why? Are the effects of these UV rays on our bodies really all that bad?
Let’s find out…
Real Science
These invisible wavelengths of light continuously attack our skin, hitting the surface and penetrating deep into the dermis, damaging DNA and the proteins beneath the skin.
Proteins keep the skin tight and strong. When they’re damaged, the skin loses its primary shield. This is how wrinkling, or ageing, happens. Like the strong pillars supporting a tent, the pillars gradually weaken and the tent folds.
DNA damage affects the structure of your genetic material too, preventing healthy cell renewal. This is what causes the mutations that can lead to skin cancer.
The Elephant in the Room.
The World Health Organisation classifies the sun’s ultraviolet rays as a human carcinogen – ‘a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue’. Male skin cancer cases have exploded over the past 20 years and they’re now forecast to double over the next 20 years.
In many parts of Europe (including the UK) men are almost twice as likely as women to develop skin cancer.
No Excuses. No Platitudes. Protect Yourself Now.
You wear clothes. You brush your teeth. You put on a helmet before riding a bike. Why do so few of us include a routine that cares for our skin? It can be simple. Wear your skin protection every day, because that’s all you really need.
Nothing else will help sustain the body’s largest organ. Don’t do it for looks. Don’t do it in half measures. Do it for your health.
Protection, in other words
It's biology
UVA rays penetrate your skin, damaging the proteins that offer the skin structure. This causes ageing and wrinkling, and UVB can cause sunburn. Together, they cause cancer.
It's physics
Through winter, spring, summer and autumn, UV rays reach the earth’s surface. Over 90% pass through the clouds, and reflect off of pavements, water, snow and sand to hit you with a double dose.
It's chemistry
Real skincare should protect you from both harmful UVA + UVB rays. Rays reach your skin all year long, even in the winter. Ensuring year-round protection over exposed body parts will do the trick.
