AstaReal®Astaxanthin for Skin Health

Maintaining Skin Condition in the Face of Environmental Stress

Synonymous with every summer is harsh sunlight and sun protection. Sunlight consists of two types of harmful rays that reach the earth, UVA and UVB. Overexposure to either can lead to sunburn and photoaging. Exposure to UVB rays results in excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which lead to inflammation and apoptosis, a type of cell death that manifests as sunburn. UVA rays cause photoaging, which is premature aging of skin, detected as wrinkles and age spots. Two of the main layers of the skin, the epidermis and the dermis receive the most damage from UV rays. The epidermis is made up mostly of a cell type called, keratinocytes, which form a protective barrier that help with skin moisture retention. The dermis consists of skin fibroblasts, a cell type that produces structural components of the skin, including collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid.