The Sun: Friend or Foe of Beauty

 

Most of us enjoy being out in the sun, and we all aim to have a beautiful, healthy glow over the spring and summer months.

 

But there are also a lot of risks when you spend entire days sunning yourself on the beach. So, is the sun a friend, or a foe when it comes to looking your best? The truth is it is somewhere in between - let’s take a look at everything you need to know.

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Aging Skin & Wrinkles

If you want to keep yourself looking young, avoid the sun. Exposure to too many UV rays will age your skin, and according to the Aesthetic Medical Clinic, there are a few signs to watch out for. Wrinkles can appear after too much sun exposure, due to the UV light damaging the collagen and elasticity of the skin. In fact, doctor's reckon the only thing worse than sun exposure for aging skin is smoking cigarettes.

Eye Damage

It’s not just your skin that can be damaged by the sun. Long-term overexposure to UV light can also damage your eyes - in particular, your retina. Also, some people end up developing cloudy bumps which grow over the cornea and restricts their vision. Finally, the harsh UV light of the summer months is also known to be responsible for causing cataracts. Make sure you are wearing some high-quality sunglasses with UV protection to ensure you keep your eyes safe unless you want to spend the rest of your life with cloudy, squinting peepers.

Hair Damage

You might love your sun-kissed locks that bring out the lighter hues in your hair. But exposure to UVA and UVB rays can have lasting damaging effects. Too much sun leads to dry, brittle hair, split ends, and it can even weaken it, meaning you are more likely to suffer from hair loss. Time to buy a good summer hat?

Mood Enhancing

All this aside, the sun is as much a friend as it is a foe when it comes to looking your best. First of all, it’s an incredible mood enhancer that gives you energy and makes you feel good about life. Nothing gives your looks more of a boost than being happy, smiling, and having bags of energy, and it’s not much of a surprise that serotonin levels in your brain are at their highest during summer.

Vitamin D

The sun is also your body’s primary source of Vitamin D, which is vital for healthy bones - and which can help your teeth stay strong. There is also evidence it can protect you against some forms of cancer, and you get all these benefits from just fifteen minutes in the sun every day.

Sleep Inducer

If you want to look fresh and at your best, sleeping properly is your friend. And believe it or not, the sun can have a big part to play when it comes to getting enough shuteye. Sunlight limits the amount of melatonin your brain produces, which is why you are more awake in the summer evenings than you are in the winter. But the result is that when you go to bed, it’s part of your natural sleeping pattern - unlike in the dark early evenings of the winter when we tend to keep ourselves awake artificially.

As you can see, the sun can certainly help you look your best. But don’t spend too much time out there, or you’ll end up on the opposite end of the spectrum!