UV Rays - the Culprit of Skin Problems
Apr 12, 2022
According to the 2020 China Beauty and Nutrition White Paper, the ranking of skin problems of concern to female respondents are, in order, skin discoloration, dull skin tone, dry and dehydrated skin and wrinkles/sagging, large pores, acne and oil, and sensitive redness, and almost all of these skin problems are related to excessive UV exposure.
According to the wavelength length, sunlight can be divided into three parts: visible light, ultraviolet light and infrared light, and ultraviolet light can be divided into long-wave (UVA), medium-wave (UVB) and short-wave (UVC). Long-wave UVB wavelength is 320-400nm, medium-wave UVB wavelength is 280-320nm and short-wave UVB wavelength is 100-280nm. These two types of UVB will cause a large number of epidermal cells to die, resulting in rough skin surface and increased keratin, and will also easily accelerate skin aging, wrinkles and sun spots, bringing a series of skin problems.
Among them, medium-wave UV rays can lead to sunburn or tanning, while long-wave UV rays can reach the dermis of the skin and destroy collagen and elastic fibers in the skin, accelerating the degradation of hyaluronic acid, which plays a role in water retention in the dermal matrix, and accelerating the dryness and dehydration of the skin and aging. In addition, UV rays also cause keratinocytes to release a variety of inflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandins, histamine, serotonin and kinins, which in turn promote melanin synthesis by melanocytes, resulting in various pigmentation deposits, skin dullness, and also make the skin more sensitive.
To protect against UV damage, avoiding direct sunlight and applying sunscreen is the key, but of course, there are also functional ingredients that can mitigate UV damage to the skin and help repair skin that has been damaged by UV rays, although they cannot replace sunscreen, but they can also play a role. Especially with summer approaching, this type of functional food, as an emerging category in the oral beauty category, is very likely to set off a new round of popularity.
Common UV Protection Ingredients
1) Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin's strong antioxidant properties make it a potential photoprotective agent, scavenging free radicals that cause skin aging, protecting cell membranes and mitochondrial membranes from oxidative damage, and preventing skin photoaging. Several studies have confirmed that daily supplementation with natural astaxanthin may increase skin protection, and Algatech has now conducted several studies, both in hairless rats and humans, showing that astaxanthin reduces the deep skin damage caused by UV light, which can lead to the appearance of signs of skin aging such as dryness, sagging skin and wrinkles. Currently, astaxanthin is one of the most commonly used ingredients in functional foods for UV protection.
2) Lycopene + Lutein
A study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Medicine in Düsseldorf, Germany, showed that oral administration of lycopene rich tomato nutrients (TNC, from Leconrad) and lutein may protect the skin from long/medium wave ultraviolet (UVA/B) and UVA1 radiation at the molecular level, the results of which were published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
3) Apple polyphenols
The "apple polyphenols" contained in the unripe apple fruit are a natural component of protection against UV and pest irritation, and the amount of apple polyphenols in the unripe fruit is about 10 times higher than in the ripe fruit. Apple polyphenols have various effects, such as antioxidant, aging delay, whitening, oral care, muscle endurance, weight loss, etc. Some studies have reported the effect of apple polyphenols on skin damage (erythema and other skin symptoms) caused by ultraviolet light.
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