The sad part is, little miss sunshine is a two faced b*tch who's main goal is to slowly destroy us in the dirtiest way possible - she makes us beg for it, she makes us want her so badly that we're keen to drop all of our plans just to spend a little more time with her, all the while she's silently harming us, watching us enjoy every minute of it. Not a fan of S&M? Guess what, you're in a masochistic relationship with little miss sunshine.
It shouldn't be news to you that the sun is bad for your skin and that nice tan we all love is just a way of announcing to the world that you have sun damage. If tanning was a crime I'd be on the death chair from my years of not only oiling up my body and laying outside for hours, but oiling up my body and hopping into a tanning bed for ten minutes multiple times a week during the winter months [okay fine, during the summer months too, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about]. My obsession with skincare has led me to stop tanning and I am slowly learning to love my natural, very fair, cool-toned complexion. I've made a pact with myself to avoid tanning from now on, especially on my face which will be enjoying SPF 85 from May-September every year. *not to disappoint my collection of tan-necessary gold jewelry, I will also be enjoying self tanning and makeup three shades darker than my actual skin tone... one of the few time's I look forward to faking it.
I've known that the sun was bad for me for years, but it wasn't until I realized that all the time and money I spend to have good skin is completely shot to sh*t every time I let my skin be subjected to the sun's rays. I'm sure there are a lot of you out there like me, you want great skin but you not only love the sun, you love the way your skin looks with a tan. It's a tough spot to be in, but here are the facts beyond "the sun is bad for you" that may have you joining me in racking up some Shoppers Optimum points from the sunscreen aisle this summer.
The fact that the sun can cause skin cancer doesn't seem to resonate in today's generation as demonstrated by packed beaches and pre-spring break line ups at the tanning salon [it's always a good idea to pre-damage your skin before damaging it even more in Cancun or wherever you're going to lose your dignity this March]. Since I live by the "true beauty is on the outside" motto, the more common and visible results of sun damage put my panties in a knot more than skin cancer did, and here's what I know.
Over 80% of the signs of skin aging in adults results from their tans as teens.
A lot of people think that a sunburn is the visible sign of sun damage, but even a light tan is a sign that you've damaged the top layer of your skin. Take a look at the skin on the underside of your arm and compare it to the skin on the top - the skin on the underside of your arm is how your entire body should look, it is generally undamaged from the sun. The differences you see in the skin on the top of your arm [different colour, freckles, hyperpigmentation] is all sun damage accumulated over the years. FAIL.
Every time you tan, you are inviting the suns UV rays to break down collagen [primary structural protein in your skin] and increase elastin [protein that allows tissues to stretch]. In english, less firmy + more stretchy = saggy [or FAIL]. When this happens, enzymes in the body attempt to rebuild the collagen. Simple solution? Not quite, as this process doesn't work the way it should and the enzymes end up breaking down more collagen, creating the entire sequence again and causing solar scars [in facebook terms, Collagen is in a complicated relationship with Metalloproteinases (the enzyme)]. What happens as this process is repeated over and over again? Wrinkles.
Your beautiful face isn't the only recipient of these wonderful wrinkles; UV rays also cause thickening of the skin especially in the neck area, resulting in deep, coarse wrinkles. The best thing about these wrinkles? They're permanent. While on the topic of permanent, the sun also causes permanent stretching of tiny blood vessels that give your face an all over reddish appearance.
Melanin is a brown pigment that is designed to shield your body from UV rays. UV rays damage melanin causing it to grow, so that pretty little tan you love is actually the melanin in your body struggling to protect you from little miss sunshine. Continuous sun exposure damages these cells to the point where freckles or "age spots" develop, especially on the face, shoulders, arms, chest, and back of the hands. What many people don't realize is these "age spots" aren't due to chronological aging at all, they result from your relationship with the sun, sort of like your own little STD.
Re-thinking your relationship with little miss sunshine?
I hope so. Next Saturday I'm going to post a break-up guide for those of you who have decided to take your first steps towards a healthy relationship with that new guy, SPF. It's always uncomfortable to run into an ex, but by next week you'll be confident and prepared to handle anything your ex decides to throw at you, because believe me, little miss sunshine does NOT like to be pissed off, and she 'ain't going nowhere.
xxLM
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