Solarium: Who tans earlier, ages faster
From Dusseldorf rarely good news for sunbathing friends. For years, the Institute for Environmental Medical Research has been investigating how real and artificial sun affect our skin - and the message is definitely clear: Healthy tanning? There is not any.
Also what the researchers to Professor Jean Krutmann now submit, does not make you feel like a solarium. It was already well known that long-wave UVA radiation in particular penetrates into the connective tissue and promotes allergic reactions and skin aging there. Now, however, the infrared radiation is suspected by new investigations to let us look old faster.
Infrared is a kind of "waste product" when tanning UV rays are generated on the sunbed. And it is especially a very specific infrared spectrum (the so-called infrared A-rays - not the warming radiation from the infrared lamp!), Which is not a good testimony in Dusseldorf. "We suspected a few years ago that infrared A also accelerates skin aging," says Institute Director Jean Krutmann. In the meantime, our own and other studies have shown that the rays stimulate the production of proteins that literally digest collagen fibers. But collagen is the most important component of connective tissue that supports our skin and makes it look tight. All research has shown that under the influence of the skin cells produce significantly more collagen eaters.
And that's not the only thing: Like the UVA radiation, the infrared A also affects the mitochondria, the "power plants" in our cells, which are responsible for energy production. The radiation causes more errors to creep into the internal production processes. Krutmann is therefore certain: "After the discussion about UV, infrared radiation will be the next big topic." Who tans earlier, gets old faster. This simple truth goes beyond a second study that sought to find out who is suffering from radiation. The scientists asked several test groups for sunbeds and then looked at who had damaged the skin cells most. The result: Among the 18 to 26-year-olds, who used a solarium for the first time, the damage rate to the genetic material jumped 3.5 times (18 years was the minimum age in the experiment).
They are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of the rays. "Exactly these damages, however, ensure that the cells no longer receive enough energy, as a result of which the tissue ages," explains Jean Krutmann. And sagging skin is just the harmless side of the coin. Those who are regular solarium customers from a young age pay heavily on their skin cancer account. "Most of the damage to the genetic material can be repaired by the body, but if you expect it a lot of radiation, he is overwhelmed," said Beate Volkmer of the Association Dermatological Prevention. This accumulation of cell damage can result in gene changes that later lead to skin cancer. This is especially true of the four million intensive users who visit the tanning bed twice a week. Makes alone about 100 artificial sunbaths per year. Dermatologists and the Federal Office for Radiation Protection recommend no more than 50 annually - solarium and beach together.
To better protect at least minors, In 2009, the Federal Ministry for the Environment is planning a law prohibiting tanning beds under the age of 18. Even now, the seal "Geprüftes Sonnenstudio" should ensure that teenagers are not allowed under the tubes; Among other things, studios that are certified undertake to pay particular attention to the age of their customers. But even the predecessor logo was not very well received: within only four years, only 140 studios could be certified - out of a total of about 5000. No wonder, many studios are focusing on very young customers, for whom aging or cancer are not even an issue at all. The Solarium Association SLS admits that studios near schools will feel a legal ban economically.
The fact that the federal government will introduce a UV limit and remove old devices from the market with the solarium ban for adolescents is indeed well received by "skin protectors". Nevertheless, the cancer expert and dermatologist Professor Eckhard Breitbart points out that the use of a solarium is not harmless even then: "The new devices are still as strong as the midday sun on the equator." And for the WHO knows only one piece of advice: From the shadows.
The healthy alternative: self-tanner
The sun from tube and bottle is guaranteed skin-friendly. To get the perfect winter brown, you should consider a few tips:
- Strips and stains are caused by uneven skin. So smooth it out first with a peel. For sensitive skin rub off only with the towel.
- Do not bathe directly before self-tanning, softened skin does not absorb the active substance as well afterwards.
- Soak the elbows, heels and cuticles first with body lotion - here the skin is thicker, turning darker quickly.
- Body lotion with a light active substance mix (DHA and erythrulose, eg from Dove) is particularly natural.
- If you have dry skin, you should pay attention to a product with a lot of moisture binder (especially for dry skin on the body, eg from Vichy or Neutrogena).
- If you want a sunny complexion, take a self-tanner for the face - which is now also available with anti-wrinkle ingredients (eg with Q10 from Nivea Visage). Wipe the eyebrows and hairline with a damp cloth after application - the active substance discolors bright hairs.
