The Best Ways to Protect Your Skin During the Summer

Summer is an exciting time due to all the vacationing, the swimming, the cooking out, and the many other seasonal activities, but despite all the fun, summertime can also be a detriment to skin health if proper care is not taken. Ultraviolet rays from the sun, chlorine from swimming pools, and carcinogens from cookouts can all have negative effects on the health of your epidermis.  In this article we will go over some of these threats to skin health and how to avoid any long-term damage from the summertime activities.

Protect Your Skin from Dryness & Sun Damage

The damage to skin by ultraviolet rays from sunlight is well-known. A mere five to ten minutes of UV rays is enough to cause sun damage such as wrinkles, leathery skin, liver spots, actinic keratosis (a rough scaly patch on the skin), and solar elastosis (thick yellow skin that appears furrowed, creased, or bumpy). Any sunscreen with your requisite amount of SPF will help to avoid sun damage, but MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) may help maintain healthy collagen and inhibit hardening of skin tissue. The sunscreen will prevent any sun burns and the MSM will hydrate, strengthen, and add elasticity to your skin.

Reduce Chlorine’s Effect on Skin

Swimming is an effective escape from the summer heat as well as a great form of exercise but the damage from chlorine to skin is well known. Chlorine strips away essential oils from the skin causing dryness. This can lead to unsightly rashes and signs of premature aging. MSM can inhibit the toxins that breakdown dermal collagen and elastin structure causing wrinkle formation and fragile skin. MSM may also protect your skin from the effects of chlorine by regulating the expression of DSG3 and AQP3. When properly regulated, AQP3 will distribute hydration throughout the epidermis and prevent excessive dryness.

Protect Your Skin from Dangerous Carcinogens

Carcinogens from the smoke of a cookout has been shown to be a potential cause of cancer.  The medical community recommends that you change clothes and wash soon after attending a cookout to avoid these carcinogens. OptiMSM may provide overall support to the structural integrity of the skin by stimulating the COL7A1 and FMOD genes which are responsible for healthy collagen, firmer skin, and improved skin connectivity.

Skin health is vital to a youthful appearance and a healthy lifestyle and through the use of sunscreen and OptiMSM you can still enjoy the fun of summertime activities without concern.