Our Best Skin Protection Tips For Outdoor Lovers Like You: LifeJacket Skin Protection

A. FIRST PRINCIPLES

External aggressors – as we call them – like harsh, cold weather, dry or hot air, ultraviolet light, pollution, smoke and stress attack your skin every single day. Especially if you’re a year-round adventurer.

These aggressors cause skin damage. Damage could be anything on a spectrum from dryness, redness, cracking, itchiness or sensitivity, all the way to skin cancer (and thousands of other things in between).

Your skin is the body’s first line of defence and it needs help to repel these aggressors. One of the principal roles of the skin is to prevent things from the outside world that might cause us damage from getting into your body. For example, airborne infections, bacteria, viruses or pollutants. That’s why it’s so important your skin barrier remains healthy, intact and un-compromised at all times. For us, that comes in the form of skin protection. It isn’t skin care without skin protection!

B. NEVER FORGET SUNSCREEN

The gorilla in the room and chief of all aggressors is ultraviolet light.

UV is responsible for 80% of premature skin ageing and 90% of melanoma skin cancers.

Here’s the important piece of science most people don’t realise. UVA specifically reaches your skin every single day and in equal measure throughout the year. It also accounts for 95% of the UV that reaches us on earth. So, as long as it’s light outside, UVA reaches your skin – even through cloud and glass. And even on a cold November day at the top of Cheddar Gorge.

What Does UV Light Do?

UVA penetrates the deeper layers of the skin meaning you can’t see the damage. It contributes to premature skin ageing and wrinkling by damaging the natural proteins under the skin’s surface. These proteins keep the skin tight and strong but, when damaged, can’t provide the same structural support. For a long time, it was thought that UVA couldn’t cause any lasting damage other than these cosmetic changes but studies strongly suggest UVA enhances the development of skin cancers because the rays also cause DNA damage within certain skin cells.

As mentioned, this damage is often invisible and it’s accumulative. The concept of protecting yourself from something you can’t see and which might never happen is hard to

D. PROTECT YOUR BONNET

It might get hot but your head’s a sitting duck under strong sun. That’s even more true to any bald men out there or those who have a close cut on top. Wear a beanie or cap. There are breathable, lightweight, UPF 50+ variants out there. It’s a whole lot better than a sunburnt head or sun stroke. You can find our MEN’S & WOMEN’S sun protective hats via our website.

E. WEAR SUNGLASSES MORE OFTEN THAN YOU THINK

For the same reason that it’s ideal to protect your skin from UV every day, we should probably all wear sunglasses more often than we think. When out adventuring, protecting your eyes against sunlight (including snow or ice glare) is really important for your eye health. As mentioned, UV levels can be high even on a cloudy day and overexposure can lead to painful inflammation, known as ‘snow blindness’. It can also increase the likelihood of developing cataracts.

Sunglasses with UV400 protection (or which have the CE kite mark) are a critical piece of kit. Avoid low quality lenses which can cause more harm than good.

F. LIPS

Even if your lips don’t normally need any special attention, they probably will do when you’re out climbing. Lips don’t produce sebum so can quickly become dry. They also burn more easily than other areas of skin.

What’s the solution? Keep an SPF lip balm in your pocket for both UV protection and moisture. Reapply constantly throughout the day.

G. SKIN PROTECTION ISN’T JUST A SUMMER THING

A little known fact is that winter is the worst time of year for people who suffer from outbreaks.

The skin’s top layer is called the epidermis. It’s a waterproof barrier between your body and the big wide world. It’s the skin layer where drying takes place. And this is key.

Healthy skin contains c.30% water. Each day, it loses about one pint. Winter presents a problem because humidity is low both inside and out, and the water content of the epidermis tends to mirror atmospheric humidity. So, as humidity drops, water loss increases because dry air pulls moisture from the skin.

When the skin’s water content drops below 10%, dryness, flaking and itching begins. This leads to redness, cracking and inflammation: all signs you might personally recognise of weathered, winter skin.

Why does this happen?

Cells in the epidermis are held together by a lipid-rich glue made up of natural oils. When the glue is weakened, water loss (and its consequences) accelerate. Things that cause the glue to lose its grip include: sun damage, over-cleansing, scrubbing, underlying medical conditions and, of course, winter conditions.

It’s also worth mentioning that the epidermis gets thinner with age often due to the cumulative effect of sun damage. Thinner skin doesn’t retain moisture as well. On top of this, natural oil production slows with age.

While dry skin is clearly not life-threatening, it’s a nuisance, doesn’t look great and can give rise to complications like eczema or infections (don’t forget the main role of the skin!).

To manage winter skin, we suggest the following: moisturise (even more) regularly, stick a humidifier by your bed, have warm (not hot) showers, use soap-free products because soap is drying and strips your natural oils and drink water (see later).