Sunlight is the most common element that
we're exposed to. Particularly in tropical
countries like Malaysia and Singapore,
we're left completely vulnerable under the
attack of sun rays. AND THIS! IS! SCARY!
You may have heard of this from your parents, teachers or any elders.
While this may be true for the countries that have four seasons,
we honestly do not need so much sunlight in a sunny country.
Of course, we do not photosynthesize, so ......
How do we get Vitamin D from sunlight?
Sunlight is composed of light waves and UV waves.
So when skin is in contact with UVB rays, a type of UV,
Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin.
the intensity of sunlight is very high every day
as we receive direct energy from the sun.
Hence we can always easily obtain
sufficient sun exposure for enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D can be alternatively obtained from
food such as milk, fish and egg yolk.
Also, too much vitamin D is toxic.
Hence the skin would stop its vitamin D production
in just a few minutes of sunning.
Here's the main question :
It is undeniable that excessive sunlight can cause premature ageing.
In fact, the UV in the sunlight is responsible for 80 percent of facial aging.
This UV-induced aging is often known as photoaging.
The UVA rays, with longer wavelength than UVB,
penetrate into the skin and damage the collagen fibres.
This damaged fibres then trigger production of enzymes,
which in turn malfunction, resulting in incorrectly rebuilt skin.
'Incorrectly rebuilt skin' might sound a bit okay.
What about fine wrinkles, frown lines, saggy skin, deep creases,
visible broken blood vessels on cheeks, and freckles ...?
We're sorry to make you feel scared about the sun.
Everyone knows sunbathing makes a Caucasian tan, and an Asian dark.
The mechanism behind the change of skin color is that
sunlight triggers series of enzymatic reactions
to produce the pigment, melanin.
Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of a skin area
caused by the excessive production of melanin.
Normally people with hyperpigmentation
have patches of dark skin surrounded with normal skin.
Light energy from the UV photons
can be absorbed by the DNA molecules
to break the bonds between the DNA strands,
or alter the base sequence of the DNA strands.
UV can also generate free radicals
known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) in our skin.
Due to having an unpaired electron, free radicals
attack the DNA molecules to pair up the electron.
This type of damage is known as indirect DNA damage.
As free radicals are highly reactive,
they may also diffuse throughout the body
and affect other cells or organs.
DNA is the most important part of our cells.
In the context of skin cells, upon receiving excessive sunlight,
many of their functions will be interrupted by damaged DNA.
(Read more on DNA Damage and Repair in our previous post)
But in Malaysia ...
Due to the position of Malaysia at the equator,the intensity of sunlight is very high every day
as we receive direct energy from the sun.
Hence we can always easily obtain
sufficient sun exposure for enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D can be alternatively obtained from
food such as milk, fish and egg yolk.
Also, too much vitamin D is toxic.
Hence the skin would stop its vitamin D production
in just a few minutes of sunning.
Here's the main question :
What's wrong with getting excessive sunlight ?
1. Aging
It is undeniable that excessive sunlight can cause premature ageing.
In fact, the UV in the sunlight is responsible for 80 percent of facial aging.
This UV-induced aging is often known as photoaging.
The UVA rays, with longer wavelength than UVB,
penetrate into the skin and damage the collagen fibres.
This damaged fibres then trigger production of enzymes,
which in turn malfunction, resulting in incorrectly rebuilt skin.
'Incorrectly rebuilt skin' might sound a bit okay.
What about fine wrinkles, frown lines, saggy skin, deep creases,
visible broken blood vessels on cheeks, and freckles ...?
We're sorry to make you feel scared about the sun.
2. Hyperpigmentation
Everyone knows sunbathing makes a Caucasian tan, and an Asian dark.
The mechanism behind the change of skin color is that
sunlight triggers series of enzymatic reactions
to produce the pigment, melanin.
Hyperpigmentation is the darkening of a skin area
caused by the excessive production of melanin.
Normally people with hyperpigmentation
have patches of dark skin surrounded with normal skin.
3. DNA Damage
Light energy from the UV photons
can be absorbed by the DNA molecules
to break the bonds between the DNA strands,
or alter the base sequence of the DNA strands.
UV can also generate free radicals
known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) in our skin.
Due to having an unpaired electron, free radicals
attack the DNA molecules to pair up the electron.
This type of damage is known as indirect DNA damage.
As free radicals are highly reactive,
they may also diffuse throughout the body
and affect other cells or organs.
The final result?
DNA is the most important part of our cells.
In the context of skin cells, upon receiving excessive sunlight,
many of their functions will be interrupted by damaged DNA.
(Read more on DNA Damage and Repair in our previous post)
4. Skin Cancer
The most severe outcome of DNA damage is skin cancer.
When the UV rays cause damage on the DNA that
controls cell reproduction, this cell loses control.
As a result, new non-functional skin cells are produced uncontrollably.
These faulty skin cells compete with normal skin cells for nutrients.
Over time, as the faulty cell increases, a tumor is formed at the site.
We feel your anxiety.
Is there a solution to this?
Exposure to sunlight is really unavoidable,
especially in tropical countries or summer.
Hence, we really wish to highlight the fact that
Sunscreen is very very important !
Most people neglected sunscreen as part of their skincare routine,
without knowing that with simply an ample amount of sunscreen,
you are literally avoiding hyperpigmentation, skin cancer, and
80 percent of facial aging that will cause fine lines & wrinkles!
It is our priority in this post to gently remind you, with all these science
facts, that you should never ever neglect the importance of sunscreen.
That will be all for this post for the time being! As we had previously
discussed about 4 Tips Before Buying Any Beauty Products,
in our next skincare post, we'd like to give you some advise on
sunscreen protection against the UV rays, along with some
recommendations on some of the best sunscreen products.
In this case, please stay tuned for the next Vora Cura's talk !
Yours truly, K & Z.
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