How To Repair Sun Damaged Skin Face NATURALLY
In this post, we will give you guidelines on how to repair sun damaged skin face naturally at home because that process starts at home.
But we would recommend to everyone to get a skin check by a board-certified dermatologist since we get sun exposure more than ever because of unrealistic beauty standards.
Sun exposure is the number one cause of aging. This happens because the sun damages our skin and this damage is called photoaging.
Sun damage occurs when we expose our skin to the sun for an excessive amount of time when the UV radiation is the highest. The type of sun damage depends on the type of UV rays. Some cause wrinkles and hyperpigmentation and others can cause skin cancer.
So it is very important to avoid UV radiation as much as possible since it is responsible for damaging our skin. There are two types of UV radiation, UVA and UVB. They penetrate our skin at different layers and cause a different types of damage.
UVB penetrates our skin superficially and causes burning of the skin (UVB-burning rays).
This is very dangerous radiation because it can damage the DNA of our skin cells which over time can mutate and turn into skin cancer. Have you ever noticed when you burn, that redness turns into a tan in a couple of days?
This is our body’s natural response, an inbuilt mechanism that fights that DNA damage, by creating pigmentation over DNA.
Now be honest how many times have you let your skin burn just to get more tan?
This is a very dangerous habit and you should stop it because tanning your skin is telling you that it is burning and needs help.
UVB radiation can make permanent changes to the color of our skin. It can damage pigment-producing skin cells so they stop making pigment (white patches on the skin) or cause them to lose the ability to stop making pigment (brown spots on the skin).
UVA (A for appearance) radiation can penetrate deeper into our skin and make more structural changes. Those are wrinkles, loss of volume, and thickened texture.
You should not avoid the sun at all causes because we need it to help synthesize vitamin D which has many health benefits. You just need good sun habits and they should be your all-day every day commitment.
How to repair sun damaged skin face naturally at home?
Skin repairing process naturally is not a easy one and it will take some time. It consists of several very important steps.
Healthy skin comes with prevention. It is one of the steps toward repairing skin because it will keep your skin from more damage (darker spots and deeper wrinkles).
Also, it is going to save you money because it has been found that people spend billions of dollars annually to try to repair sun damaged skin.
How to prevent sun damage?
To prevent sun damage you have to:
Implement sunscreen into your skincare routine
Sunscreen should be the last step of your skincare routine. It is the most important step because no serum or moisturizer can repair damage caused by UV radiation. So, it is very important to protect your skin from those rays.
If you don’t apply sunscreen, you are just wasting your money on products that can not repair as much as UV radiation can damage. You have to apply sunscreen daily, every two hours when you are outside and 1/4 teaspoon dose to the face. When we say daily we mean all year long, yes even in winter.
This is very important if you are in the sun when UV radiation is high. It would be ideal to avoid being in the sun at that time, but if you cannot don’t forget your sunscreen.
Experts usually agree on their top picks for the best sunscreens. Dr. Rakesh Patalay confirmed that on his Youtube video where he showed his four favorite sunscreens, these are: Heliocare 360 , La Roche Posay , Garnier – Ambre Solaire
Avoid excessive tanning
It is important to avoid excessive tanning because it can be very dangerous especially if you don’t apply sunscreen. Tanning, in general, is not healthy, there is no healthy tan. Every time you get tanned that is a sign that your skin is fighting. So, you don’t need tanned skin, your skin is beautiful the way it is.
There is a trend of women applying baby oil mixed with some bronzer to get more tanned. Don’t do it, it is highly dangerous and unnecessary. You are just frying and burning your skin. Your skin is very important and has its limits, so don’t test them. You have to take seriously every sun exposure because you never know when you are near the tipping point when your skin cells can turn into cancerous ones.
So, it is better to be safe than sorry.
We know how sometimes to pull off a certain dress our skin needs to be tanned. In that kind of situation, it is better to apply self-tanning lotion or spray or simply go with a different dress that suits our skin tone as it is.
Also, we want to encourage you to stop following unrealistic beauty standards, you don’t need tanned skin to look beautiful.
Sun protection from inside out
Sun protection from the inside out is very important because just by eating certain food you can increase your skin’s ability to protect itself from UV radiation.
Foods that protect your skin are tomatoes and strawberries.
For food to be able to protect the skin from sun damage, you have to start consuming it 10 weeks before going to the sun.
It is very important to note that you should avoid alcohol while being in the sun (not just while being in the sun, but in general) because it has been shown that alcohol reduces the skin’s ability to have natural sun protection.
Only two vodka shots can decrease SPF by 50%. So, the next time when you are drinking a cocktail by the pool, think about the consequences and effects that alcohol has on your skin.
There are other ways to protect your skin from sun damage. You should wear covering clothes, and hats and avoid sunbeds at all cause because they accelerate photoaging and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Skincare routine for sun damaged skin
MORE DETAILED PLAN FOR SKINCARE ROUTINE
Having the right skincare routine is very important for sun damaged skin. Steps that are going to help you to repair your skin are:
- Use light face cleanser
- Exfoliating will help skincare ingredients to penetrate and to remove hyperpigmentation through the skin for even skin tone. We have a recipe for homemade exfoliator below.
- Use vitamin C serum. You can find a recipe for a very effective one if you keep reading our post
- Use hydrating sheet mask. Or if you want to use something natural, make a honey mask
- Moisturize
- Apply sunscreen as the last step of your routine for maximum sun protection
Home remedies for repairing sun damaged skin
A towel soaked with green tea
Sunburn is very painful. So here is a remedy to ease that pain.
Green tea is great for soothing sunburn. To get that effect you have to make enough green tea in the bowl so you can soak a medium towel.
After soaking put the towel into the freezer, but don’t let it freeze. You should be able to spread a towel over your face.
Or you can put your bowl with green tea into the fridge to cool it, then soak a towel and put it over your face.
Green tea is great for relieving pain when applied topically because it contains tannic acid and theobromine. It works in a very interesting way. Green tea can interrupt inflammation pathways in the body and it is not just topical, it also works from the inside out.
You can drink green tea or take decaffeinated extract (if you avoid caffeine) for anti-aging effects.
Natural exfoliator for sun damaged skin
Exfoliating is a fantastic way to treat sun damage. Your skin will seem smoother, brighter, and more even after getting rid of those dead skin cells since it will accelerate the development of new, healthier cells, promote the development and renewal of collagen, and reduce or completely get rid of hyperpigmentation.
This recipe is very easy to follow, yet very effective. You have to grind oats into powder by using a food processor or coffee grinder. To use oats on the face you have to grind them in very fine powder because that way they are going to be a gentle exfoliator for your skin.
The next step is to add water and glycerin. Mix until you get a thick paste and apply it on cleansed skin. We didn’t put any measurements, so you can make as much as you need.
Just keep in mind that you should not over-exfoliate, once or maximum twice a week is enough.
Oats are great for dry and acne-prone skin. Avenanthramides, which are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances found in oatmeal, provide relief for dry, itchy, and irritated skin. Oatmeal may absorb oil from the skin’s surface, making it beneficial for people with acne-prone skin.
Because it functions as a humectant—a component that enables the skin to retain moisture—glycerin is excellent for the skin. It can hydrate the skin more, reduce dryness, and revitalize the top layer of the skin. It can soften skin since it is an emollient.
Of course if you prefer to follow a video here is the one from YouTube that perfectly explains the process.
Vitamin C spray
Vitamin C and vitamin E oil
Vitamin C serum
To make homemade vitamin C you will need:
- 6 teaspoons of distilled water
- 1 teaspoon of ale-vera gel
- 1/4 of a teaspoon of vitamin C powder
Mix these ingredients into a bowl and pour it into an opaque dropper bottle. It is very important to pour it into a dark bottle because vitamin C is very sensitive to light and can lose all its benefits.
Apply this serum as the second step of your skincare routine, after cleansing your skin. After that apply your next steps of routine, moisturizer and sunscreen. Combining vitamin C and sunscreen in your skincare routine is the most anti-aging thing you can do.
We recommend making this serum every week for maximum efficiency and for saving money.
Honey
Honey is an excellent topical treatment for regenerating sun damaged skin because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and calming characteristics. In addition to being hydrating and antimicrobial, honey is just what your skin needs after overexposure to the sun.
Apply a thin coating of honey to the sunburned area for immediate relief, and let it on for 15 to 30 minutes before washing it off or wiping it away with a warm towel. It’s that easy!
Repeat as necessary, but you’ll probably notice that the pain, swelling, and inflammation start to go down after the initial application. It’s hardly surprising that honey has been utilized as a topical burn reliever for so long!
The best natural defense against sunburn is to combine a small amount of pure honey with aloe vera for milder instances. Honey is not just for sunburn. You can apply it to your skin as a mask for many other benefits. It will moisturize your skin, fight acne and pimples, lighten scars, and has anti-aging effects.
Don't use apple cider vinegar (ACV), apply aloe vera gel instead
Test for distinguishing photoaging from chronological aging
You can perform a simple test to distinguish between those two types of aging. The only thing that you have to do is check out lines and pigmentation on your face and feel the skin’s texture.
Now do that same thing on part of your body that hasn’t been exposed to the sun too much over the years like the lower abdomen.
By comparing those two parts of your body you can notice what excessive sun exposure can do to your skin especially if you love tanning.
CONCLUSION
The answer to the question of how to repair sun damaged skin face naturally is very simple. To repair damage made by UV rays you should have a good skincare routine and be aware of the consequences of sun exposure.
Don’t follow every trend that you see online, do your research first and your skin will be grateful to you.
