It can be challenging to repair sun damaged skin, but it is not impossible.
Sun damage and ultraviolet radiation really does a number on the skin, and can damage it severely. When skin is damaged by the sun, the following things happen:
- Collagen fibers are damaged
- Elastic fibers are damaged
- Natural nutrients are reduced
Using supplements with traditional skin treatments may greatly improve your sun damaged skin’s health.
Traditional therapies such as retinoids help stimulate skin growth and can prevent the skin from losing its firmness and elasticity. There are several antioxidants incorporated into topical skin care products that may also improve skin firmness. These antioxidants include vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, ferulic acid, green tea, idebenone, pycnogenol, and silymarin.
These supplements can be taken orally to help your skin health from the inside while traditional therapies can help your skin from the outside.
- Coenzyme Q10 found in fish, shellfish, spinach, and nuts. Co-Q10 reduces as we age and is one of the first antioxidants that reduce in our skin.
- Polypodium leucotomos extract has exhibited potent antioxidant activity and has shown to decrease the adverse effects of sun damage by helping improve skin health and increase elastin expression.
- Silymarin may help prevent skin cancer and aging from sun exposure. However, most of these studies were done on animals.
- Pycnogenol may provide relief for those who have a sunburn and may help reduce the harmful effects of ultraviolet damage to the skin.
Solscense contains a topical application of Polypodium Leucotomos along with VItamins C and E, so applying this serum twice a day will drastically improve sun damaged skin.