As summer begins, you might be looking for help avoiding sunburn while still savoring the beautiful, hot days.
Enjoying the Sun Responsibly:
- It’s important to enjoy the sun responsibly and avoid the most intense radiation times of day (10am to 3pm).
- Just the right amount of sun gives us access to natural Vitamin D and rejuvenates the body.
- Too much sun causes oxidative damage (also known as a burn), which is an inflammatory response of the skin.
- However, you can’t make Vitamin D when your body is slathered with sunscreen! So, you might need another tool to enjoy summer sunshine responsibly.
Astaxanthin:
What is Astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that heals damaged skin and increases skin resiliency. It is made in nature by a tiny algae eaten by sea animals (e.g., wild salmon, shellfish, krill—and yes, flamingos). The sea animals even reflect its beautiful orange-pink color in their own tissue!
Benefits of Astaxanthin:
- Research shows that with regular astaxanthin use, sunburn typically happens less quickly and less intensely when we are exposed.
- Astaxanthin has worked for me personally for years!
- It can also help reduce and prevent other types of skin damage or dysfunction such as blemishes and wrinkles.
- Additionally, it can help with eye tissue support (especially macular degeneration).
Effectiveness:
This antioxidant is thousands of times more effective in free-radical “quenching” value than Vitamin E, CoQ10, Beta Carotene, or even Vitamin C. This is especially true for “singlet oxygen quenching,” which is the type of oxidative damage most typically wreaked on skin from too much sun exposure.
Dietary Choices:
Certainly, there are many key dietary choices to support long-term skin health:
- Drink more plain water
- Avoid black tea and coffee
- Keep alcohol consumption moderate
- Consume less sugar/sweeteners
- Say “No” to processed and refined foods
- Honor all food sensitivities
Moreover, sufficient sleep also makes a huge difference. Finally, enjoy high-quality seafood (not conventionally farm-raised) by regularly incorporating:
- Salmon
- Lobster
- Shrimp
- Crab
- Crayfish
Supplements:
Knowing which supplements to use can be trickier. In addition to astaxanthin, here are a few key nutrients for healing damaged skin:
Zinc
- Key for all “wound” healing in tissue, including sunburn.
- Up to 40mg/day can be taken with food for several weeks to promote sun healing.
- Be cautious—higher doses may cause nausea.
- Recommended forms: citrate, glycinate, or monomethionine.
- For long-term use, a zinc/copper combination (e.g., OptiZinc) is advisable as these minerals compete for absorption at both the intestinal and cellular levels.
Essential Omega-3 Fats
- Recommended dose: about 1500mg of actual Omega-3s twice daily (with food) for skin healing.
Essential Omega-6 Fats
- Contrary to common health myths, some Omega-6 fats are not inherently inflammatory and are essential in the diet, especially DGLA.
- Recommended dose: 500mg of evening primrose oil or borage oil twice daily with food for targeted skin healing and health. These oils contain high levels of GLA, which the body converts to DGLA.
Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Derived from natural gelatin, this is an excellent source of glycine and other amino acids critical for maintenance and healing of soft tissues in the body.
- Recommended dose: 5-10 grams of hydrolyzed collagen can be mixed into a smoothie or shake each day as a skin-targeted protein choice.
- This is just one of many good-quality brands available online.
Lastly, make sure you know how to distinguish a high-quality supplement from the crowd of low-grade imposters.
With these tools in mind, get out and enjoy the sun responsibly!
By Shanti Pappas
Certified Holistic Health Coach and Functional Medicine Nutritionist.
Happy Belly Health®
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