June 25, 2021

If it burns - put it out! Proven SOS measures for sunburn

The other day in the garden: 28 degrees in the shade, the sun is blazing. A pleasantly cool breeze caresses my skin and tempts me to relax on the cozy outdoor furniture. And why not? After weeks of waiting for spring, I'm craving a good dose of vitamin D. You can guess what's coming, right? That's right! I've dozed off. There's nothing wrong with a refreshing power nap. Quite the opposite. But in the blazing sun? Without sun protection? Ouch!

I normally have a pale complexion. My mother taught me this for so long that for a long time I thought I would turn to dust at the slightest ray of sunshine. She also gave me my first eye care product for my 19th birthday. But that's another story. Nevertheless, she was right - and in this she was in line with none other than Coco Chanel. The beauty wisdom is said to have come from her:

"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to determine the face you have at fifty."

Extensive sunbathing makes us look old sooner

This brings me back to my sunburn debacle. What happens to our skin when we are exposed to the sun for too long and too intensively?

A network of collagen and elastin fibers gives our skin structure, volume and stores water. UV light makes this supportive network fragile and unstable. Our skin loses its elasticity and ability to store moisture. This causes it to age quickly. Unfortunately! If you want to protect your skin from premature wrinkling, avoid extensive sunbathing, especially at lunchtime, and always protect yourself with sun cream with a high sun protection factor (I use 50+).

If you do get too much sun, pamper yourself with soothing after-sun care and, above all, lots and lots of cooling moisture.

Cold compresses

A cloth soaked in cold green tea offers quick relief. Green tea is rich in skin-soothing tannins and polyphenols, which help to regenerate your skin and soothe redness.

Aloe Vera

Sunburnt skin thirsts for water, so I'm a big fan of aloe vera. It intensively moisturizes the face and body, soothes, has an anti-inflammatory effect and protects with antioxidants. I keep a huge pot of aloe vera gel in the fridge and enjoy the wonderful boost of freshness on hot days. A little tip on the side: I also use the gel from the green desert plant on my sun-stressed hair. Gently massage a walnut-sized amount into towel-dried hair after shampooing (and conditioner).

Witch hazel and marigold

Many after sun products contain these soothing medicinal plants because they have an anti-inflammatory effect and can relieve itching. By the way: witch hazel is contained in the GINZAI Wake-up Toner and marigold in the 2in1 Cleanser.

Shea Butter

After the aloe vera gel, your sun-stressed body skin will look forward to being caressed with a light but nourishing body cream. The GINZAI body butter provides additional moisture with shea butter and strengthens your skin barrier with fortifying lipids. With every application, black forest ginseng also boosts elastin and collagen production, giving your skin firmness and elasticity and counteracting premature skin ageing.

Fleece masks

Serum-soaked fleece masks are an almost ingenious solution to the problems of sun-stressed facial skin. They soothe, provide maximum moisture and revitalize your skin within 20 minutes. Fresh from the fridge, they also give your overheated complexion a soothing cooling effect. Here I recommend masks with the moisturizing boosters aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and algae extracts. I personally love our Serum Sheet Mask with black forest ginseng and black Tahitian pearl. It immediately soothes your skin, floods it with moisture and provides it with protective antioxidants and minerals.

Pigment spots

Another unsightly side effect of sunlight is the formation of pigmentation spots. The sun's UVB rays are responsible for this. They stimulate the excessive development of the body's own pigment melanin and this leads to the increased formation of unsightly age spots (hyperpigmentation).

The sun terraces on our forehead, nose, décolleté and the backs of our hands are particularly affected. Unfortunately, I know a thing or two about it. My skin is extremely sensitive in this respect. All the more reason for me to lead a life as a nightshade. Because pigmentation spots make even young skin look old quickly. Vitamin C helps you to get hyperpigmentation under control and also helps to build up a stable collagen network.

Finally, I have two important recommendations for you:

Please refrain from using body and facial scrubs if you have sunburn. This will further irritate your skin.
You should definitely have severe redness or even blistering examined by a doctor.

All my love,

Your Christiane