Essay On Sunscreen

Ivonne Oquendo

Esthetics Night Class

May 20, 2014.

Page 1

The Role of Sunscreen in Premature Aging

Sunscreen has been around for many years. Sunscreen or Sunblock have a history that goes back to the Second World War, when the United States Navy Soldiers were working on the decks of the aircraft carriers. During that time it became obvious that they needed some skin protection to avoid burning their skin during long periods of time under the sun. In trying to find something they could apply to the skin to protect them from the extremely strong sun of the South Pacific, scientist came up with a red paraffin oil that seemed to be very effective in blocking or diminishing the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun. This oil originated from petroleum. After a process of separation and other processes, they came up with a substance that worked as a barrier for the ultraviolet rays of the sun. After many years and once the war ended the formulation was refined and commercialized but even before that, thousands of years earlier, it is said that jasmine oil was used by ancient Egyptians. It is also believed that ancient Greeks used olive oil to protect their skin. In folk medicine the oil expressed from chestnuts was used as a sunscreen by the eighteen hundreds.

Exposure to the sun is necessary because it has a positive effect on Vitamin D. It is said that exposing your bare skin to the sun for fifteen minutes a day, is enough for your body to get the daily amount of Vitamin D required for health reasons. Sun Exposure also has a positive effect on our moods, however, over exposure to the sun can damage the skin and increase the chances of skin cancer and premature aging. Exposure to the sun for lifetime causes what is called Photoagin...

... middle of paper ...

...red, dramatic changes can be noticed. Saggy wrinkled skin, age spots, brown blotchy freckles, red areas, thinning of the dermis, lost of elasticity and skin cancer. These types of conditions require more specialized and costly treatments to reduce the established signs of Photoaging. In treating extreme cases deeper skin treatments are needed. Laser Resurfacing, Chemical Peels and even Plastic Surgery can help treat or diminish these signs of advanced photoaging. Frequently, they might even be necessary. These treatments are more invasive, cost a lot and require a long post procedure healing period. It is my believe that applying sunscreen every day and starting to do so at a young age, together with following other recommendations by skin professionals such as estheticians and dermatologists, can actually save you money and help you look younger in the long run.