How to protect yourself against sunburn? There’s no magic pill, it’s a long-term process, but it’s worth understanding the basics and doing them, because from then on you won’t have to worry about sunburn for years to come! Not to mention the other positive “side effects”. How nice it would be not to have to deal with sunscreen anymore, even on an exotic holiday…
(Read the first part of the article HERE)
Sunburn is a process where incoming electromagnetic rays can no longer be properly reflected or absorbed by the appropriate biological structures. Absorption is the most important mechanism because if the skin is healthy, it can in principle absorb almost any amount of natural solar radiation! The main light absorbing compounds are EZ water, melanin, sulphated cholesterol and DHA.
The lack of sunlight in the morning also contributes to sunburn. Morning sun exposure is vital for proper hormone levels, for the production of EZ water, and for preparing the body for optimal sunlight absorption. Charge-separated EZ water naturally absorbs UV light from the sun, so as long as you’re properly hydrated, absorption will be fine. It’s best to build up the right EZ layer and hydration by sunbathing in the morning.
Melanin absorbs most light frequencies and reduces their energy into the IR range (heat), which also increases the EZ layer.
The worse the redox potential in the cells, the sooner we burn. Those who have a well functioning system will have no sunburn or just a minimal redness that turns brown the next day and no peeling or pain.
Gradual sun exposure over weeks to months is an excellent way to adapt to strong sunlight. That’s why it’s worth going out in the sun all year round. Of course, this may only be a novelty for humans, but wild animals know it for themselves… How long you can stand the sun depends on many factors and is constantly changing. Observe where you are now at about the level where you are starting to burn, then stop sun exposure earlier, and then gradually increase the dose as you adapt. If you feel you are getting too much sun for the day, simply move into the shade or dress up.
It’s worth eating seafood regularly for DHA and foods rich in various aromatic compounds (and spices! e.g. turmeric, rosemary) and chlorophyll can also be beneficial. The compound maresin from DHA has an important role in reducing inflammation, so a good supply of DHA can also help relieve the symptoms of sunburn.
We also have additional built-in sunlight protection, such as vitamin C, to modulate light absorption and transport. It is no coincidence that fruits are relatively high in vitamin C. A double-edged weapon. In summer it can be a good idea in bright sunlight. In less sunny places and times, it’s not a good idea to eat too much fruit and vegetables because you’re blocking the sun’s rays. Also, vitamin E can be promising in sun protection.
Let me mention one miracle pill. After the above, of course, in order of importance. This is the astaxanthin, a red pigment found in certain fish, crustaceans and algae. Astaxanthin is also a compound with double bonds (delocalized pi electrons…), it can play a role in UV absorption, it can have a protective effect in strong sunlight.
So, with the above practices, we can tune our body to be more resistant to strong sunlight. Sunlight is not our enemy, it is our friend, if we don’t look at it from behind the window pane and re-think about it.
Go to Part III of this article, I’ll write about what to do after a sunburn!
References
- Barolet D, Christiaens F, Hamblin MR. Infrared and skin: Friend or foe. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2016;155:78–85. doi:10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2015.12.014
- Cezar TLC, Martinez RM, Rocha CD, et al. Treatment with maresin 1, a docosahexaenoic acid-derived pro-resolution lipid, protects skin from inflammation and oxidative stress caused by UVB irradiation. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):3062. Published 2019 Feb 28. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39584-6
- Xu C, Zhang J, Mihai DM, Washington I. Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP. J Cell Sci. 2014 Jan 15;127(Pt 2):388-99. doi: 10.1242/jcs.134262. Epub 2013 Nov 6.
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- Crawford MA1, Broadhurst CL, Guest M, Nagar A, Wang Y, Ghebremeskel K, Schmidt WF. A quantum theory for the irreplaceable role of docosahexaenoic acid in neural cell signalling throughout evolution. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2013 Jan;88(1):5-13. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2012.08.005. Epub 2012 Nov 30.
- Hama S1, Takahashi K, Inai Y, Shiota K, Sakamoto R, Yamada A, Tsuchiya H, Kanamura K, Yamashita E, Kogure K. Protective effects of topical application of a poorly soluble antioxidant astaxanthin liposomal formulation on ultraviolet-induced skin damage. J Pharm Sci. 2012 Aug;101(8):2909-16. doi: 10.1002/jps.23216. Epub 2012 May 24.
- Rao AR1, Sindhuja HN, Dharmesh SM, Sankar KU, Sarada R, Ravishankar GA. Effective inhibition of skin cancer, tyrosinase, and antioxidative properties by astaxanthin and astaxanthin esters from the green alga Haematococcus pluvialis. J Agric Food Chem. 2013 Apr 24;61(16):3842-51. doi: 10.1021/jf304609j. Epub 2013 Apr 16.
- Suganuma K1, Nakajima H, Ohtsuki M, Imokawa G. Astaxanthin attenuates the UVA-induced up-regulation of matrix-metalloproteinase-1 and skinfibroblast elastase in human dermal fibroblasts. J Dermatol Sci. 2010 May;58(2):136-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2010.02.009. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
- Eberlein-König B1, Placzek M, Przybilla B. Protective effect against sunburn of combined systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 Jan;38(1):45-8.
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