Natural sun care for healthy skin

Why is sunlight so important to our organism?

Our body needs the sun’s high-energy UV light to produce healthy vitamin D, while excessive sun exposure poses a significant health risk. Find out how you can prevent skin damage and still enjoy the benefits of the warming light.

The daily rise and set of the sun is one of the few reliable events in our lives. Despite this, we often pay too little attention to the effects of sunlight on our health. The numerous benefits of the sun range from energy supply for photosynthesis in plants and bacteria to vitamin D production for humans. But as with most biological processes, the right dose is the decisive factor: Excessive exposure to sunlight is a serious health risk. Sunlight, especially UVA and UVB radiation, can cause sunburn, premature skin aging, eye damage, a weakened immune system, photo-allergic and phototoxic reactions, and even skin cancer.

Precious vitamin D

Our bodies need the sun’s energy-rich UV rays to produce vitamin D. This precious vitamin is essential for cell health and bone strength. The lighter your skin tone, the faster your daily vitamin D requirement is met: Very fair skin types only need 10 minutes of direct exposure per day. However, sunscreens with SPF 8 or higher almost completely inhibit the production of this healthy vitamin in the body.

*Vitamin D is not a vitamin in the classical sense, but rather the preliminary stage of a hormone produced in the body, which is “activated” by the sun’s UVB rays. The UVB rays penetrate the upper layers of the skin, where they first convert the body’s hormone cholesterol into the pre-vitamin D3. This is then converted into vitamin D by the contemporaneous generated heat of the infrared rays.

Natural antidepressant

According to studies, the production of the messenger substance serotonin in the brain, an important neurotransmitter that lifts our mood, is directly influenced by the amount of sunlight. The warming rays brighten our mood, the level of serotonin is higher on sunny, bright days than on overcast or cloudy days. In addition, sunlight regulates our biorhythm. The light influences the production of hormones that are necessary for activity and sleep.

Effective sun care for lasting protection

Free radicals and their effect on our skin

Natural daylight is made up of an almost continuous spectrum of light waves. However, our eyes can only perceive a small part of it as colour, with each colour representing a specific wavelength. High-energy, short-wavelength light is invisible to us but can cause significant damage at a cellular level.

Short-wave UV light has a strong oxidizing effect. When it reaches our skin cells, it creates free radicals. These are unstable molecules with unpaired electrons that tend to oxidise other molecules by ‘stealing’ electrons. This can damage cell structures and their components, such as proteins, lipids and DNA.

Oxidative stress contributes to skin aging

When there is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body’s ability to neutralise or scavenge them with antioxidants, a condition called oxidative stress occurs. The skin is constantly exposed to oxidative stress, both from internal factors such as metabolic processes and external factors such as pollution and sunlight.

Oxidative stress accelerates the ageing process of the skin. The damage caused by free radicals leads to the destruction of collagen and elastin, the proteins that give skin its firmness and elasticity. This can lead to the formation of wrinkles, sagging skin and unwanted pigmentation. In addition, excessive production of free radicals weakens the skin’s barrier, making it more susceptible to irritation.

Long-term and repeated exposure to UV rays and the associated oxidative stress can even contribute to the development of skin cancer. Since free radicals can damage the DNA in skin cells, they increase the risk of mutations.