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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-21-2015, 10:23 PM
I don't know about paleo but is diet good for skin? Yes.
Avoid sugar. If possible - none. And no added sugar. Really f'ing minimize.
Same with alcohol. A couple of drinks once in awhile. And no sugary drinks...
Foods that build up the skin to prevent burns? Carrots... Eat lots of them or juice them. The beta c. will fortify your skin against sun damage.
Finally - like you said wear sunblock and cover up - wear a hat. There are companies that also make uv blocking clothing.
I don't know much about paleo and I get irked by fads and commercializing dietary trends.
But... to answer your question directly. Yes, I think a good diet is beneficial but if you're counting on diet only to protect your skin for sun damage, forget it, the sun always wins.
Edit: I started wearing a daily spf when I was in my 20's.
I am now much older than that and people say I look five years younger FWIW...
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 12:41 AM
No difference at all, for me.
That said, I have spent most of my life in the North where we have very little sunlight and when we do have, the sun is rarely so strong that you need any sunblock.
But I have also spent some time in South East Asia, Middle East, Australia other places with stong sun. If I need to spend time outside in the middle of the day the sunblock is a must, or I will get burned badly. I usually try to avoid being outside during the hours when the sunshine is strongest.
I have gotten so many nasty sunburns so it's not even funny.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 02:37 AM
Do not stop using sun protection
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 12:53 PM
The most "paleolithic" way to avoid sun damage is to stay in the shade.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 01:15 PM
I think Mike from D&P highlighted that certain veggies like tomato, papaya and watermelon which have lycopene can help prevent sunburn.
This of course is not "paleo" at all if your ancestors were European, as none of them would ever have access to tomatoes, papayas, or watermelons.
Anecdotally, I have seen this anti-burning. effect. But I also have a "Mediterranean" skin tone and don't burn too easily anyway.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 01:17 PM
Quote: (03-22-2015 12:53 PM)Giovonny Wrote:
The most "paleolithic" way to avoid sun damage is to stay in a cave.
Fixed it for ya!
Can't wait for this summer's tan.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety- Benjamin Franklin, as if you didn't know...
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 01:17 PM
Köpcke W, Krutmann J. Protection from sunburn with beta-Carotene — a meta-analysis. Photochem Photobiol. 2008 Mar-Apr;84(2):284-8. Epub 2007 Dec 15.
The study found that taking beta-carotene for 10 weeks, in amounts of about 57 mg per day, protected against sunburn. One cup of carrot juice has about 22 mg of beta-carotene.
The researchers said the SPF of beta-carotene was about 4. They thought the benefit from beta-carotene could be due to its antioxidant potential or interference in other parts of the biochemical pathways leading to sunburn.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-22-2015, 03:37 PM
I never get burned.
That being said- I did come pretty close one time when I spent ~7-8 hours straight in the sun. But I would still highly recommend covering up with clothing/hats or going to shade over sunblocks. If you havent gotten enough vitamin D, you definitely shouldnt cover up, but if you are approaching burning, then try to avoid the chemical sunblocks and use more natural ones.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-25-2015, 04:48 PM
The biggest thing is showering. The combination of Exfoliating + Soap + Hard Water is too much for the skin to take. Keep in mind that until the early 70s showers were considered a 'luxury'; most homes/apts only had bath tubs. I'll come back to this point a little later.
The next thing is to build a tolerance. Most people only go out on days when the UV index is hovering at 9-10; instead make a habit of going out every day, even on overcast days when the index is a measly 1-2. There's a lot (homeless) guys Downtown who have pretty much been outside 10+ hours a day for decades and I'm 99% sure they don't use sunscreen.
I'll post a pt 2 if anyone is interested, too much to write right now.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-25-2015, 07:07 PM
"There's a lot (homeless) guys Downtown who have pretty much been outside 10+ hours a day for decades and I'm 99% sure they don't use sunscreen."
But they also have that reddish look that screams "homeless in the sun all day."
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-28-2015, 06:50 AM
There are stretches of time where I am required to work outdoors. Guiding hikes, kayak trips, mountain expeditions etc.
I would say go with the conventional approach.
Nothing against the Paleo philosophy as I've never used that approach when it comes to sun protection.
What I do:
Apply Sunblock with SPF 30 (I think using SPF over 50 is redundant) just before going out.
In the evenings, a decent application & massage of coconut oil or olive oil to the skin, especially the face, after a bath. Leave it on. Most times, i just sleep without washing it off until morning.
In the event of a burn, just apply some aloe vera gel.
By the way, this is sun in South East Asia, where i'm currently based & the sun exposure here is high. My regime seems to be paying off so far with regards to not getting any bad burns & having my skin not look like rotting leather.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-28-2015, 08:20 AM
I decided to make my own sunscreen, using zinc oxide as the primary active ingredient. Chemical sunscreen, some allege, is a hormone disruptor. The mineral, non-chemical sunscreen I found was pretty expensive, and mineral sunscreen is pretty easy to make at home apparently.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-28-2015, 09:56 AM
Thanks Kosko, was actually planning to add tomatoes to my daily lunch routine. Do sun dried tomatoes count as cooked?
Most of the sunscreen on the market is comprised of chemicals that are allegedly estrogenic. So I've decided to make my own sunscreen, using all natural ingredients, with zinc oxide as the active ingredient. The mineral sunscreens I'm seeing on the market are pretty pricey. Will stick with that for now, while also implementing dietary changes along the lines of what Mark Sisson suggests, specifically more omega 3 and lycopene.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
03-28-2015, 10:09 AM
@Basil keep us updated with the natural sunscreen, especially if it holds up well against "normal" sunscreen.
I'd be very interested in making my own.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
05-06-2015, 08:11 PM
I made my own sunscreen, and highly recommend it. It's considerably cheaper than buying a real prepackaged mineral sunscreen, and it feels pretty rich going on your skin. The only drawbacks are it smells like olive oil and makes you look really pasty. I think both of those can be resolved with adding scented oil and cocoa powder, respectively, or using a different formula. I did see a formula that had water, but that limited the shelf life - the oil/fat/wax only formulas seem like the way to go.
I integrated some of the recommended foods into my daily diet, namely tomatoes and fish, and try to minimize wheat and seed/vegetable oil consumption, but I still don't want to risk aging my face.
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Does The Paleo Approach To Protecting Your Skin From The Sun Work?
05-06-2015, 09:43 PM
I would like to know. Sunscreen is like 10 bucks for a small amount and it only lasts about 40 minutes before reapplying. If I'm on the beach I will be out longer than that. Also the chemicals most likely absorb into the skin which means they can get into the blood. With 20 chemicals I have no idea what they are listed in the average ingredients I'm not wild about using it. It sucks even more when your bald.
I want to wear hats more too but my head is too big for most.