We all know sunscreen is an important step in protecting yourself from skin cancer and those painful sunburns. But did you know there is a new reason to slather it on? Water’s Edge Dermatology wants to encourage you to take a couple minutes to reapply sunscreen and make your skin look younger. The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia funded a study to look for the truth in sunscreen use and dietary supplements such as beta-carotene. After reading their findings, you’ll be searching for that sunscreen bottle.
The researchers down under found more than 900 people under the age of 55 to either slather on sunscreen as per instructions or to keep up their usual routine. They were also given either a beta-carotene supplement or a placebo to test out the effects of dietary supplements meant to prevent skin damage and aging.
After four years of keeping track of all these people’s sunscreen regimen, researchers found that regular sunscreen use does slow the aging of skin while the beta-carotene supplement had no overall effect. The people who reapplied sunscreen on the hour and after getting wet were 24% less likely to show increased aging.
The main reason is the ability of UV-A rays to break down the collagen and elasticity of skin. Collagen isn’t only used to make your lips pouty, it holds your skin together and keeps it looking young. When collagen can’t do its job because of all the UV-A exposure, your skin begins to lose the battle for elasticity and a youthful experience.
So, even if it takes a couple minutes out of your day here or there, try to reapply whenever you can. Water’s Edge even sells non-oily sunscreen. Not only will it help prevent skin cancer, it’ll keep you looking pretty for longer.
