How to Protect your Skin from DNA Damage Caused by the Sun

Yep, you heard right. The sun can actually damage your DNA! Sunlight is a form of electromagnetic energy. You also have to worry about photons – particles of energy that hurtle through space into our atmosphere, crash into our bodies and penetrate our skin. This is what’s called direct DNA damage.

The other way in which the sun can damage our DNA is when it changes the molecules inside our cells’ nucleus into free radicals. These free radicals then negatively change our DNA, something referred to as indirect damage.

These injuries, caused by direct and indirect damage, are called ‘dimers’.

So what can we do about it?

The challenge with a dimer is that it can cause the damaged cell to function abnormally. For example, it might cause more inflammation than necessary, something that can have a knock-on negative effect throughout your body.

While our bodies do have the ability to correct DNA dimers, it might not always recognise the damage in every case. Also, before the damage is corrected, you might expose your skin to more sunlight and create even more DNA damage. This accumulation of cell damage then starts to be seen by the body as ‘normal’. In this scenario, the skin won’t correct this and all that accumulated damage leads to a mutation that can then cause skin cancer.

Lamelle to the rescue!

Fortunately, you can prevent DNA damage by applying sunscreen every day and by reapplying it regularly if you’re spending time in the sun. You can also limit indirect dimers by supplying your skin with daily antioxidants.

But wait! What if you’ve been lax in regards to sunscreen and now your skin is full of DNA dimers? In this case, all is not lost because technology and research are on your side. Skincare products containing particular enzymes can come to your rescue. For example, Lamelle Helase 50+ contains both direct and indirect dimer-correcting enzymes. We’ve also added an indirect DNA dimer corrector to the moisturizers in our Nourish line. They’re also loaded with two super potent antioxidants, Pycnogenol and Astaxanthin. 

Ultimately, you do have to be concerned about both direct and indirect DNA damage, but with the right product, such as Lamelle Helase 50+, you’ll always have the very best protection.