Everyone wants to look fresh, radiant and young forever. The sun, however, has other ideas. While exposure to the beaming yellow sunshine can fill up the amount of vitamin D that you need, the cumulative effect of the natural light and the blue light
emitted by the screens we latch on to brings about photoageing, the slow ageing of our skin under the collective impact of light. Here is your decoder to guard against photoageing.
Light attack
The solar damage to our skin is brought on primarily by exposure to the sun. The harmful UVA and UVB rays badger us consistently, making way for freckles, sun spots and pigmentation. Says Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Madhuri Agarwal, “Photoageing is mainly solar ageing or ageing due to UV light exposure. As a consequence of the cumulative exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun, starting from our childhood, a very small percentage — about 10% — of ageing can be due to HEV (high energy visible light) and infrared light (like microwave heat). The best way to address it is by using a broad spectrum sunscreen indoors too.”
How do you assess the intensity of the photodamage on your skin? “Examine your skin. The physiological ageing process commences around 20-25 years of age, with the tropical Indian sun demanding an SPF of 50 for our skin type. You can use different bases, gel-based, cream-based, physical and chemical sunscreens. Physical sunscreens are like blocks, while chemical sunscreens absorb the sun rays and then reduce the damage,” she adds.
Apply half a teaspoon over your face, neck and hands using broad spectrum coverage of both UVA & UVB. Face sunscreen can be
gel or lotion formulation, body sunscreen can be lotion or spray or stick formulation. Photoageing is not reversible but there are ways of restoring an even tone in the skin. “Retinoids help in repairing cellular damage by producing collagen and…
Shilpi Madan for Deccan Herald