Sun Damage, Prevention & Treatment
Age spots, discoloration, fine lines, and wrinkles – these are the markings of aging skin. Age is a natural process. Every living thing ages, from mushrooms to sea urchins, and of course humans – and sometimes, we show signs of age that are not part of the natural process. This is called premature aging. Premature aging is often caused by the type of lifestyles we lead or too much sun exposure. These effects tend to show up on the skin as outward signals, making you look much older than you really are. There may be no way to turn back the hands of time on your age, but there definitely are ways to protect and preserve the vibrancy of your youth (regardless of age).
One of the biggest culprits to premature aging is excessive sun. This is how sun damages the skin. Basically, the skin consists of protein fibers you might have heard of called elastin and collagen. The ultraviolet rays of the sun can change the nature of both of these fibers after constant and excessive exposure. Deteriorated elastin loses its natural firmness making the skin sag and stretch out of place. Imagine an elastic band sewn into the waist of a skirt. Brand new, that elastic may have a nice, firm, tight hug on your waist, but over years of wear and tear, and maybe overstretching, that elastic no longer hugs your waist, but sits loosely around it and making the skirt sag. Elastin is like that. Elastin allows your skin to resume its natural shape after you tug at your jaw. Broken elastin does not resume it shape, and collagen does not rebuild itself, The skin heals by producing new elastin and collagen, but this process is impeded excessive UV exposure.
In addition to maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a diet plentiful of vital nutrition, and good regular exercise, you may look into some Obagi skin products for protection against the sun and for revitalizing sun-damaged skin. The Obagi Professional C Serum series protect the skin from premature aging by supplying it with different concentrations of antioxidant Vitamin C.
Topical Vitamin C can diminish wrinkles and lines in the skin, but in its natural state does not get readily absorbed by the skin. Obagi C Serum utilizes stabilized Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) that can be more effectively absorbed by the skin than other Vitamin C products. Using a product with stabilized Vitamin C is important because when Vitamin C is exposed to the air it goes through a process called oxidation and loses the special nutrient value than can topically benefit the skin. Stabilized Vitamin C, however oxidizes much less quickly, allowing the nutrient to absorb into the skin before losing its beneficial properties. Obagi Professional C Serum is offered at strengths of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%.
The Obagi C Rx System contains skin products for an entire skin care regimen combining the effects of Vitamin C and hydroquinone. The system consists of a cleansing gel for skin preparation, clarifying serum for reducing the effects of sun damage while giving the skin protective antioxidant benefits, exfoliating day lotion for exfoliation, sunguard SPF 30 for UV protection, and therapy night cream for skin renewal. You may get these products in a set for maximum benefits, or separately to suit your specific needs.