You’ve probably heard it a million times - wear sunscreen everyday even if you’re indoors. Do not leave your house without (your keys) & sunscreen… You don’t have to be in the sun to have your skin exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. Yes, we know you think you know how bad the sun is for your skin, because everyone from your grandmother to your dermatologist says the same thing to you everyday. But did you know that just wearing sunscreen isn’t enough? Your skin needs a whole lot of care after the sun too, so it is crucial that you begin introducing some after-sun care products into your skincare routine as soon as possible. But don’t worry, as you spend more time with us, we will teach you everything you need to know about your skin’s relationship with the sun and also give you some holy grail tips for how you can care for your sun-damaged skin everyday. 

But to start things off, here are 5 ways that the sun is damaging your skin everyday that you probably didn’t know already. And if you did, well then that just makes our job much easier :). 

1. Premature Ageing  - While it might seem obvious that prolonged sun exposure causes your skin to age quicker than it normally would, let’s simplify the concept to help you understand why and how that happens. 

Do you sometimes wonder how your mom or grandma have such good skin and look so much younger than their actual age? The secret is when they were young the sun’s rays were not as damaging as they are now. UV radiation is part of the light spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun and they are classified as UVA & UVB rays, both of which damage the skin in different ways. So when our mothers and grandmothers were young, the amount of UVA & UVB rays reaching the earth were significantly lower, thereby exposing them to much less harmful sun exposure even at midday. Research shows that the amount of UV rays reaching the earth’s surface has increased markedly over the last 3 decades. Premature ageing caused by the sun is also known as photoaging and signs begin showing in your late teens and early 20’s, these include fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots. And guess what? It only takes 15 minutes for your skin to get damaged by the sun. 

1. Uneven Skin Tone & Hyperpigmentation: This umbrella term for skin damage usually includes dark spots, changes in skin texture and discolouration and usually is a direct result of prolonged sun exposure. While we know that no one can really have perfect skin texture, noticing discoloration or increased dark patches and or a rough / spotty texture is usually a telltale sign that your skin has been exposed to too much sun recently. Hyper pigmentation on the hand refers to an overproduction of melanin which leads to those grey-ish, brown sunspots formally known as solar lentigines which again is a clear sign of photoaging due to prolonged unprotected sun exposure.
2. Slows down collagen production: Wondering how to keep your skin looking young, firm and plump? Well that can only happen if your skin is producing enough collagen. And we hate to break it to you, but prolonged sun exposure results in a huge loss of collagen. And the less collagen your skin has, the higher your chances are to have sagging, thin, weak skin. But how and why does this happen? 

When you spend too much time in the sun unprotected, the UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, where they damage the collagen fibres. This causes the collagen to break down at a higher rate than normal, resulting in an abnormal buildup of elastin. When these elastins gather, enzymes are produced which break down the collagen and create ‘solar scars’. Continued sun-exposure speeds up this process, resulting in weak, wrinkled and drooping skin over time. This means after a long day out (not just outdoors) your skin needs a boost of Vitamin C & Zinc to keep the collagen fibres in-tact. You can find both Vitamin C and Zinc in most of our after-sun care products. 

1. Reduced Rate of Skin Cell Renewal: Not sure what that means? Let’s break it down. To put it simply, sun-exposure slows down the rate of skin cell renewal. This means that when you expose your skin to the sun, the time it takes for new skin cells to develop reduces significantly, resulting in a buildup of old dead, congested skin cells. We know that our skin sheds old skin cells to make way for new, young ones which is what is responsible for fresh, young looking skin. So when your skin is unable to renew new skin cells quickly due to too much time in the sun, it results in dull, dry skin that looks tired and unhealthy. Enter after-sun care products like our No Filter Face Scrub / Airbrush Body Scrub that help get rid of dead skin cells to create space for healthier, new ones.  

1. Diminished Hyaluronic Acid Production: We’re sure you’ve seen an influx of skincare products recently that boast of being packed with hyaluronic acid. But what if we told you that Hyaluronic Acid isn’t really something that has to be superficially added to your skin, but instead is something your skin produces naturally. This gel-like, gooey, slippery substance is produced naturally by your skin and is responsible for keeping your skin hydrated, elastic and firm and also reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As we age the amount of hyaluronic acid produced naturally diminishes and so, no prizes for guessing - but since prolonged sun-exposure expedites the skin-ageing process, it also results in a significant reduction in the natural production of hyaluronic acid. But not to worry, using products like our Rise & Shine Overnight Face Serum will give your skin a boost of hyaluronic acid while you sleep, so you wake up looking fresh and glowy in-spite of how long you spent in the sun. 

So as you can see, it's all connected and unfortunately all fingers point to the skin’s greatest enemy - the sun. We’ve established that prolonged sun-exposure results in premature skin ageing, which in turn results in uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, diminished natural hyaluronic acid and collagen production and a reduction in the rate of new skin cell renewal. But hey, it’s not all so bad. The worst only happens when we expose our skin to the sun unprotected and don’t care for it afterwards. So tomorrow when you wake up, you know the first thing you have to do. Say it with us - SPF is my BFF and after-sun care is my new can’t live without ride or die.