Seasonal Awareness: Prevent Photo-Aging This Summer

It’s summertime and the sun is shining brightly!  Are you thinking about the damage your skin is accumulating while you are enjoying a round of golf, watching the kids play at the pool or brunch at your favorite beachside restaurant?  The sun feels warm on our skin but what is it really doing at the cellular level?   

Signs of Photo-Aging

The sun has two type of rays that can wreak havoc on your skin. 

UVA rays are known as the “aging” rays.  They are responsible for those common signs we see years later.  Loss of collagen and elastin, leading to fine lines, wrinkles and loss of elasticity.  Cellular turnover slows down naturally due to aging, but photo-aging leads to rough, uneven texture, that leather-like appearance.  Many will also notice erythema (redness) and broken capillaries, typically around the nose and the décolleté.

UVB rays are known as the “burn” rays.  These rays penetrate skin cells and when this occurs, the cells experience a breakdown in DNA and cellular dysfunction forms.  This can lead to precancerous cells and eventually skin cancers.

Preventing Photo-Aging 

Protecting your skin with our SUNREFLECT Outdoor Topicals is the best way to prevent photo-aging!  These formulations use pure, clean minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to shield skin from harmful UV rays. 

Incorporating antioxidants is another way to protect our cells against damage.  All our retail brands contain products rich in antioxidants.  Our Pigmentation Solutions Stem Bright C contains 20% vitamin C, plus repairing stem cells to help protect and reverse damage to skin.

Our Skincation Summer Express Series is another great way to reduce the damaging effects of photo-aging.  This trio of treatments is designed to get you into your RA Professional once a month over the busy summer.  Each treatment uses gentle enzymes and flower extracts to rejuvenate skin, combined with nourishing serums and repairing stem cells summer-depleted skin is restored!

Lifestyle-Friendly Correctives

Are you using one of our lifestyle-friendly correctives this summer?  These are special rejuvenators that increase exfoliation, stimulate collagen and elastin without the risk of increased dryness, irritation or photo-sensitivity.  Using ingredients like l-mandelic acid and encapsulated retinaldehyde, these formulations naturally increase cellular turnover, from the inside, out.   

Our Pigmentation Solutions Mandelic Bright is an excellent nightly rejuvenator as it contains mandelic acid (L) to gently increase exfoliation, phytic acid (L) which boosts antioxidants and brightening properties and pyruvic acid that stimulates cellular energy.  Pigmentation Solutions “A” Renew + is another formula that not only naturally increases cellular turnover and stimulates collagen and elastin, but the stem cell technology boosts UV protection, quenches free radicals and increases the cell lifespan.

While the best defense for sun-related damage is prevention, the reality is most of us have it to some degree.  While we can’t jump in a time machine to reverse the harmful effects, we can do the next best thing – correct, rebuild and protect skin against future damage. 

Reach out to your local RA Professional to for guidance on the best home care and treatment options for your skin this summer!