How to Stop and Reverse Sun Damage

Hi ladies!

We get really harsh summers in Delhi. And with this weather, comes harsh sun rays, tanning, sun spots, wrinkles around the eyes, discoloration of skin, pigmentation and what not! These are just few of the side effects of good ol’ harsh sun rays. Let’s find how to stop the sun damage or if there is a way to reverse it with this post.

Basics

Slather on Sunscreen
Do you know what sunscreen does? It allows your skin to heal and gives your immune system the chance to repair already existing damage. All year round use of sunscreen always helps to minimize your risk of skin cancer. So, try to minimize your sun exposure by always applying sunscreen before going out.

How much SPF is sufficient?
Studies show that SPF 15 blocks 93 percent to 95 percent of the sun’s rays, whereas SPF 30 blocks 97 percent of the radiation and SPF 50 blocks 98 percent of the radiation. So, you can now stop your fixation with SPF and choose wisely.

And, don’t forget to look for UVA and UVB protection before buying sunscreen.

Heal Your Damaged Skin

Exfoliation is The Key
When you exfoliate gently, it helps to remove the build-up of rough skin and brings back the luster of your skin that had got lost due to sun damage. Exfoliation helps to remove the dead and damaged cells and allows the healthy cells to repair themselves. If you have a smoother canvas, your facial products will penetrate easily and will work faster on your skin to make it better.
Depending on your skin type, you can exfoliate as per your liking with your HG product.

Hydration of Skin
Sun rays strips away the natural moisture of your skin. So, try using a water based moisturizer as it gets absorbed into your skin faster and gives maximum benefits. Moisturizing regularly helps to reverse sun damage and prevents the development of wrinkles and fine lines.

Antioxidants Are The Way to Go
They help to treat sun damaged skin and help to reverse sun damage to a great extent. Antioxidants also fight against free radicals that cause sun damage to your healthy cells. For the maximum effect, try incorporating foods rich in antioxidants in your diet like:

Green Tea:
Consumption of green tea helps neutralize free radicals and can even help prevent wrinkles and other damaging issues from developing.
Berries:
All berries are tasty and very rich in antioxidants as they also help to repair several signs of sun damage in your skin.
Red and Orange Fruits and Veggies:
They contain lycopene, an ingredient that is known to provide protection against various skin allergies that could happen owing to sun damage.

Vitamin C
It revitalizes the skin and fights against the signs of ageing that could be caused due excessive exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun. So, try using a Vitamin C serum! There are so many choices available in the market. Incorporate one such serum in your beauty regimen and see the difference yourself.

There is great recipe of making your own Vitamin C serum at home by my fellow IMBBian Ekta. You can give it a try if you do not want to use store bought products. Here’s the link – How To Make Vitamin C Serum At Home.

Get Rid of Those Brown Spots
Because of sun damage, our skin develops brown and dry patches that make us look old. Look for beauty products with a 5-8% concentration of Glycolic acid as it helps to remove the extra layers of dead cells. These extra layers could be holding all of the brown pigment that gets accumulated over the years on our skin. You can directly use lemon juice on your spots too as it has Vitamin C that helps to fade away the brown spots from your skin.

These are some really basic tips, I hope they help you!

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

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