Does Sunscreen Completely Protect You from Harm?
Chances are good that you already know how too much sun exposure can be highly damaging to your skin. This is because it accelerates premature aging while increasing the risk of skin cancer. But is sunscreen the best form of protection? Our Little Rock-based team recommends that patients wear sunscreen during all times of the year—even when it’s cloudy or they’re spending most of their time indoors. However, sunscreen does have its limits.
Sunscreens are ideal for preventing painful sunburns, spots, wrinkles, fine lines, and the breakdown of the skin’s collagen. Just like cleansers and moisturizers, sunscreen is an essential part of a good skin care routine. Sunscreens should be broad-spectrum, meaning that they provide protection against the most dangerous types of ultraviolet radiation, and have an SPF of at least 30.
With this in mind, you should also remember that there’s no type of sunscreen that blocks UV radiation 100 percent. In fact, studies show that sunscreens only block about 55 percent of the free radicals produced by UV rays. Furthermore, your sunscreen won’t provide enough protection if it’s expired, you don’t use enough of it, you miss certain areas on your body, or you don’t apply it frequently enough. Sunscreen also won’t provide unlimited protection against sun exposure.
Instead of solely relying on sunscreen, it should be part of a multifaceted plan to protect your skin against sun exposure. To get the best protection for your skin, you should combine sunscreen with these other measures:
One way of enhancing the effects of your sunscreen is by pairing it with an antioxidant. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s excellent for your skin. Sunscreen and vitamin C work in tandem to boost each other’s effectiveness. Vitamin C also helps to counteract the damage caused by ultraviolet light and unstable molecules called antioxidants. It brightens the skin while reducing fine lines and brown spots. Combining this ingredient with sunscreen will be more effective for sun protection than just using sunscreen on its own.
Furthermore, stay in the shade or under an umbrella if you can, and use physical barriers like hats, sun-protective clothing, and sunglasses.
Get more advice on sun protection from the team at Dermatology Group of Arkansas. Call us at 501-227-8422 or 1-800-225-8422 or submit a contact form online and schedule a consultation if you would like to discuss cosmetic treatments.
What Is Collagen and Why Does Our Skin Need It?
Chances are good that you may have seen the buzzword “collagen” mentioned frequently in the beauty and wellness circles, especially in relation to anti-aging products and treatments. The question that’s probably on your mind is: What does collagen do to your face? Our Little Rock-based Dermatology Group of Arkansas team sees many patients who want to give their skin a plumper, more youthful and radiant appearance. To put it simply, having plenty of collagen is good for your skin, but being deficient in collagen isn’t. Collagen plays an important role in the health and appearance of our skin.
Our body naturally creates its own collagen. The protein keeps your skin full, supported, and sculpted—and is one of the main building blocks of our bones, skin, hair, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
When we’re younger, our skin has an abundance of collagen, which is what gives it that plump, lifted appearance. This prevents the skin from sagging. Unfortunately, our natural supplies of collagen start to dwindle early in life. Luckily, however, all hope isn’t lost, since there are techniques we can use to slow down the loss of collagen and help to build more collagen in the skin.
Sciton’s SkinTyte™ is an infrared light-based device that’s highly effective for improving skin firmness. It improves mild to moderate sagging skin, loss of elasticity, and wrinkles with minimal downtime and without the need for surgery. The energy that’s delivered by this device promotes contraction of the skin while also triggering its natural healing processes. The gentle heat given off promotes collagen production in the targeted areas, and the collagen layer in the skin gradually becomes stronger.
Additionally, there are also topical skin products that are scientifically proven to boost collagen production, such as retinoids that encourage the growth of this protein. Laser skin resurfacing and microneedling are two other cosmetic procedures that help to add volume to the skin by supporting collagen development.
If you want more answers to questions about skin care, our Little Rock-based Dermatology Group of Arkansas team can provide answers and explain about how to enhance your skin’s appearance. Call us at 501-227-8422 or 1-800-225-8422, or submit a contact form online and schedule a consultation if you would like to discuss cosmetic treatments.