With the sun shining brightly (for most of us), sunscreen lotion is pulled out of cupboards to do its duty. Preventing sunburns is important for a variety of reasons, the top reason being that sunburns can make us more likely to get skin cancer. I can also attest to the skin damaging effects of sunburns as I had one very terrible sunburn during High School that has left its mark on my body with certain patches of irregular, bumpy skin where the sunburn was worst.
Getting some sun everyday helps us build up vitamin D levels, which in turn may help prevent all kinds of cancers – including skin cancers, so I don’t worry about short amounts of time in the sun. And while sun exposure has been shown to age us, I also find that if I am never in the sun, my skin doesn’t look very nice (I do live in Oregon, and this has been known to happen for weeks on end).
7 Foods That Will Help Reverse The Damage
Drink Green And Black Tea
Green and black teas contain antioxidants known as polyphenols, and can offer protection from sunburn from the inside out. Drinking two or more cups of either black or green tea reduces the risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer by thirty percent, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Green tea is a more powerful protector from damaging rays of the sun that can cause sunburn that can lead to skin cancer and pre-cancerous skin lesions.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is not only great to use for cooking, it’s also an antioxidant-rich food that fights sun damage. One study actually proved that incorporating olive oil regularly into your diet can help to reduce reddening from sun exposure by 35%, according to an article from World’s Healthiest Foods.
Omega-3s fight skin inflammation
Omega 3 fatty acids from fish reduce inflammation and can reduce your risk of melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. Eat two servings of fish per week. Fish oil supplements are also beneficial to reduce risk of sunburn. Mackerel, trout, salmon, herring and sardines are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids that can protect skin from deadly melanoma, and other forms of skin cancer from sunburn.
Tomatoes
According to a study from the British Society of Investigative Dermatology, lycopene-rich tomatoes can actually protect your skin against sunburn. Lycopene helps to neutralize the damaging effects of UV light and eating lycopene-rich foods can actually help prevent your skin from aging. Throw a few tomatoes in your salad or use tomatoes paste in my favorite cauliflower crust pizza recipe.
Garlic
You might remember how I included garlic in my list of foods that help to flatten your belly. Not only does garlic detoxify and reduce bloating, it also can protect the skin from the aging effects of UV radiation, according to Health With Food. Garlic contains a natural compound called allicin, which has strong antioxidant and healing properties. Antioxidants fight off free radicals that enter your body from sun exposure, so eat your garlic.
Aloe Vera Juice
It’s a pretty widely known fact that aloe vera gel helps to soothe sunburns and smooth out wrinkles. It’s a kind of a magic concoction for your skin. But aloe vera juice also has it’s own healing properties. According to Every Nutrient, this juice is excellent for healing damaged tissues and skin cells in our bodies. Sun damage doesn’t stand a chance against this healthy drink.
Carrots
These orange veggies have carotenoids (plant pigments that are rich antioxidants), which help to protect against sunburn because of their antioxidant properties, according to Gene Lester, M.S., Ph.D., a plant physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.
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