Your skin is one of your body’s most amazing organs. Not only is skin your largest organ, but skin is your body’s first line of defense against disease and infection. Your skin is able to renew itself roughly every month as it continually sheds dead cells.
Despite its incredible features, your skin is still subject to environmental conditions every day. Take a look at how the environment around you has an impact on your skin and what you can do to lessen those effects.
The Sun
The sun emits ultraviolet radiation, or UVR in the form of sunlight. Solar radiation affects your skin in different ways, depending on the wavelength.
UVA
The majority of solar radiation reaching the earth and eventually your skin is a shorter UVA wavelength. These rays penetrate deeper layers of skin and cause it to turn darker. While UVA rays give you a great summer tan, they are also responsible for premature wrinkling and aging of your skin.
UVB
Only a fraction of the sun’s rays consist of long UVB waves. These rays penetrate the very outer layer of your skin and cause sunburn.
Both types of UVR are linked to skin cancer in all layers of the skin. More frightening, UVR is capable of damage DNA molecules, leading to gene alteration, immunosuppression, and other diseases.
Prevention
The good news is while skin damage from UVR rays is not always reversible, it is completely avoidable. While your skin needs a small amount of sunlight for the manufacture of crucial Vitamin D, it’s important to avoid prolonged, unprotected exposure to the sun.
Make it a habit to use an SPF-15 or higher sunscreen as a base under your normal makeup routine. Doing so will block harmful UVR from your skin. Stay inside and away from the sun between 10 am and 2 pm. If you do go outdoors, use a higher SPF sunscreen.
The Climate
Your location and the current season has varying impacts on your skin. If you live in a very humid or a very dry area, your skin is exposed to different challenges. Hot weather regardless of the sun’s rays plays a role as well.
A climate with very little humidity affects your skin in several ways. Low humidity makes your skin feel rough or tight. Your skin may appear red and cracked, which can be painful. Extremely dry air can also trigger eczema, a chronic condition characterized by dry, irritated skin.
At the other end of the spectrum reside skin challenges associated with living in a hot, humid climate. Increased sweating due to heat and humidity can make your skin see more cases of acne. Heat rash occurs when your skin is unable to sweat, causing blisters and bumps to form on your skin.
Prevention
Fortunately, preventing the effects of dry or hot, humid air on your skin is simple. Use the right type of moisturizer for your skin type during the winter when the air is drier. Keep in mind that long hot showers should be avoided as they ultimately dry out your skin.
For humid areas, treat your skin right by washing your face with a product that helps prevent breakouts. Drink a lot of water to keep your skin clear when you sweat a lot. To prevent heat rash, don’t wear tight clothing. Instead, wear lightweight cotton clothing to promote air circulation against your skin. Try to stay indoors where it’s air-conditioned.
Sometimes prevention is not enough if you are trying to lessen the effects the environment can have on one of your most important organs. If you are looking for solutions to sun damage, wrinkles, and other skin conditions that make you feel unhappy, schedule an appointment with a professional at Milwaukee Medical Weight Loss & Medispa. You will receive personalized care, using state of the art technology.
Our Medispa carries the most admired, trusted and innovative physician-dispensed skincare brands: NEOCUTIS.
