Sun and tanning: balance it right

We all dream of a velvety complexion, gilded at the right point without being burned. A color taken in the afternoon, at tea time sipped in the shade of a chestnut tree, away from the intense rays of the beaches. We would like this tan to last as long as possible after the holidays and for a few more weeks to resume our usual life. For this dream to become reality, crunching multivitamins!

Vitamins and carotenoids increase the synthesis of melanin, that melanin which, rightly, is responsible for our tan and protects the epidermis from the sun. 
This is demonstrated by the results of the scientific study conducted by Dr Jean-Pierre Césarini, head of research at the Inserm (Institut National de la Santé and de la Recherche Médicale) in Paris. These studies prove that the intake of carotenes increases the synthesis of melanin, the main natural filter against ultraviolet rays, by 29%. At the same time, the irradiated cells produce less protein 53, revealing the damage caused by the sun. To summarize: the greater the amount of antioxidant carotenoids and anti radicals in the blood, the more our body is protected from UV rays and tans better.

Nutrient principles with different benefits

Selenium

It is a trace element found in meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese and all foods rich in protein.Selenium protects from insolations, facilitates tanning and slows down skin aging, acting against free radicals. It is necessary to consume a minimum quantity for its action to be really effective, the equivalent of 200 g of green vegetables a day. Most adults experience a shortage, especially smokers, because nicotine activates the action of cells, which have a greater need for selenium to function.

Beta-carotene

Carotenoids are natural pigments found in fruits and vegetables. Stimulants of melanin and free radicals, promote immunity and contribute to cell renewal. Beta-carotene counteracts the formation of collagenesis, an enzyme active against the intercellular matrix of the skin. It is a precursor of vitamin A (retinol). Carrots, spinach, apricots and grapefruit are rich.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is the first vitamin to be discovered in 1913 by Mac Collum and Davis. It is fat-soluble, ie absorbed by lipids. It prevents skin tumors, promotes cicatrization and helps skin cell renewal. It is present in all animal tissues in the form of retinol.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C plays a beneficial role in the preventive treatment of skin aging. Contained mainly in vegetables and fruit, it is present in large quantities, for example, in kiwis, in citrus fruits - oranges, lemons, grapefruits -, in spinach, in different types of cabbage, in tomatoes, in peaches, and so on.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E prevents cell aging, improving skin tolerance in the sun. It plays a full anti-aging role and acts in synergy with selenium and vitamin C to prevent degradation of essential fatty acids. It is found in nuts, in cereal germs, in green vegetables, in egg yolk and in butter.

Use moisturizing creams based on carotenoids, rich in protective active ingredients

Vitamin C binomial with nano capsules of pure vitamin E or nano capsules of beta-carotene with vitamin E, day creams and sunscreens also claim the effectiveness of their formula based on vitamins.Associated with the intake of vitamins, their application will effectively protect against dehydration, while stimulating the tanning. 

Indispensable for the preservation of the water content of the epidermis, whose protective film is ruined, the new moisturizers, sunscreen or not, are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids and help stop the formation of free radicals .
Developed against the action of sun rays on skin by cosmetologists aware of the scarcity of our epidermis against radicals, these antioxidant multivitamins protect cell membranes and increase skin tolerance in the sun. Available in capsules or creams, these products are used as a complement to sun protection, although it is good to remember that they do not replace it at all.