Sunscreen your youth

December 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

New research out of Australia concludes that the Fountain of Youth might not be filled with water after all. It turns out that it is filled with sunscreen.

The Fountain of Youth. It was Juan Ponce de León‘s quest to find the legendary fountain that first lead him to Florida – the fountain that would supposedly restore the youth of any person who drinks or bathes in its mystic waters.

The legend dates back before history was written, so it is hard to say where they come from. But since those, times people have been searching for the fountain.

Even in modern days, through modern chemistry and technology, people continue to search for that magical solution to anti-aging.

If you have been around the Internet a while, and especially if you get your share of spam emails, you have surely come across dozens of announcements for some miraculous anti-aging cream. They even show up on mainstream television.

Sunscreen to the rescue

Fountain Of Youth SunscreenNow it turns out that you’ve been carrying just such a cream in your pocket all along: sunscreen.

Much of the sag and wrinkles in your skin are due to ultraviolet rays. If you spend a lot of time outside, you are a very lucky person. But your skin might not be so lucky. However, it turns out that a generous application of sunscreen daily can slow down the aging process. This is the chief finding of a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Lead scientist Dr. Adele Green of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research calls this “meaningful cosmetic benefits”. The video below explains the results of the research a in a little more detail.

That sunscreen protects the skin is nothing new. That’s why we use it. But we use sunscreen specifically to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Finding that sunscreen also reduces the pace of aging is a major revelation, making it useful not only to those at risk of skin cancer, but to others who spend lots of time in the sun.

This is great news for sunscreen manufacturers, but not so great news for those who peddle anti-aging creams (except those that already contain sunscreen).

 

What can you do to slow the rate of aging of your skin?

  • Cover up. Ultraviolat rays can’t eat away at what they can’t reach.
  • In the car, bus or train (or even in your kitchen!), sit on the side away from the sun, if you can.
  • Stay in the shade most of the time.
  • Use  sunscreen, when and where other options are not available.

Remember that the sun is our friend. There is no vitamin D supplement that will ever give us the raw, natural vitamin D like the sun – and vitamin D is important. So a little sun is a good thing. But a little goes a long way. After a short exposure, you might as well cover up, get into the shade or smack on some Fountain Of Youth Sunscreen. Ooooh….did I just give someone a great branding idea?

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: , , ,

The Sun Always Shines

January 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The sun is the giver of life. And it is always there.

Yes, even on cloudy days. Even when highly overcast, there is sun. That huge ball of fire so unimaginably far away pierces through outer space and even through the clouds.

Ever since setting up our solar power generation, I have been highly focused on the ridiculous lack of sun these past two months – most likely a world record for this time of year.

But the sun has been shining through and we have been generating as much as 40% of solar capacity on overcast days. While this is a minor victory for solar power and a pain in the butt for people looking for excuses to ignore sunscreen warnings about cloudy days, it is of some comfort to anybody who feels like the sun might have abandoned them.

Yes, even on dismal days, there is a sun smiling on you. And if you don’t wiggle your way out of putting on the sunscreen, it’s a happy smile indeed.

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: ,