Sunkissed: how to choose the best protection against pigmentation?

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Khrystyna Filevych, MD, editor of Pro Cosmetology BHUB, surgical resident of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Lviv

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There is a lot of research on the beneficial effects of sunlight on the human body. Sun initiates the synthesis of vitamin D and the regulation of calcium levels in the body, increases the production of serotonin, helps regulate the sleep schedule, and has a positive effect on the immune system and metabolism. However, skin professionals in the have less positive beliefs about the sun, as they are well acquainted with its "dark side" – ultraviolet, which provokes burns, pigmentation, and photoaging, increased the risk of skin cancer.

 

Historical Facts

​​Before the advent of sunscreens, people saved themselves from insolation with improvised means — mixtures of plants, seaweed, spices, oils applied to the skin, and appropriate clothing and hats were worn. There are documented references to the use of products with zinc oxide for the purpose of sun protection.

The lead in the development of a sunscreen formula belongs to the Australian scientist-chemist Milton Blake, who created a product with a 10% "salol" (phenyl salicylate) content in the 1930s. In 1936, the chemist and founder of the L`Oréal company E. Schueller introduced the first commercially available sunscreen on the American market.

 

Types of solar radiation

Solar radiation is dangerous for the skin due to the increased formation of free radical compounds in cells. Free radicals provoke the formation of wrinkles, dryness, and burns of the skin, increased pigmentation, and atypical structural changes in tissues, which can provoke the development of oncological diseases.

There are 2 types of sunlight that have a direct impact on human skin.

UVA

A = aging

• Make up more than 90% of all solar radiation.
• High permeability: their influence is felt even in cloudy weather; can penetrate through the glass.
• These rays penetrate into the deep layers of the skin, damage collagen, provoking photoaging processes: the appearance of wrinkles, a decrease in skin elasticity, increased pigmentation, and increased risk of precancerous skin conditions.

UVB

B = burning

• Lower permeability: they do not penetrate through glass, clouds, act only on the surface layers of the skin.
• Depends on geographical and temporal factors: they act most strongly near the equator. In the region of Ukraine, the greatest UVB activity is observed from April to October in the period from 10:00 to 16:00, depending on the length of daylight and the level of the UV index.
• Provoke the appearance of redness, injuries of the surface layers of the skin, vascular reactions, and burns, also it have a place in the development of oncological diseases.
• Responsible for the production of vitamin D in the skin.

UVC radiation is the most dangerous, but usually does not threaten us because it is absorbed by the ozone layer of the planet.

*Full version of the access article in Ukrainian and Russian