The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

bitebeauty The term ‘Institut' comes from researching and teaching, while ‘Esthe' is the abbreviation of es- thetique, the science of beauty. The philosophy be- hind Institut Esthederm is quite exciting and was inspired by Dr Thorel and his allergy to the sun as a child. He understood that the human body needs the benefit of the sun, not just because it produces Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium, but it is positive wellbeing for our minds. Instead of hiding away from its sun rays, we should re-educate our skin to be in the sun to allow and optimise the skin’s resistance to UV rays and pro- duce its tanning defences. Once exposed to the sun, the skin produces melanin, which is the pro- tein that protects the skin from burning. It is made by pigment cells called melanocytes. They then have more melanin to absorb the UV radiation as it turns the skin darker. It takes approximately 30 days for the body to pro- duce its natural protection and give the body this beautiful tanning colouration. Anything before 30 days is purely burnt damaged skin because it has been over-exposed, and it reaches its saturation point where it is unable to produce its defenc- es. This is where these defences need to be opti- mised. According to Institut Esthederm, the use of products with SPF (Sun Protection Factor) are not enough to protect our skin against all of the sun rays. Therefore, it is essential to understand how they work and relate to the sun. Sun Protection Factor in Brief Sun Protector Factors introduced in the late 1970s indicate the level of protection a sun cream pro- vides against sun exposure before it starts to burn. Before this happens, the time you are protected means that the SPF is 20, meaning it will give you 20 times longer in the sun. The SPF is calculated by multiplying the burning time by the sun factor number. For example, if your skin starts to burn after 15 minutes in the sun when using SPF 20, the formula multiplies 15 minutes by SPF 20 to equal 300 minutes, making it 5 hours of sunbathing. I know, in my case, using SPF 20 would burn my skin much earlier than the 5 hours advised. Why is this? The effect of sun exposure on the skin is subject to various issues, such as the strength of the sun, the time, weather conditions such as cloudy or windy, and the location; this could be in the moun- tains, at a seaside or in a town. To better under- stand these issues, we need to look at the different types of sun rays. UVC, UVA, UVB and Photostability While SPFs provide information on the degree of protection before the skin starts to burn, it does not protect it from photoaging. This premature ageing of the skin is due to exposure to ultraviolet radia- tion from the sun and artificial tanning sources, as they alter the typical skin structure. This is because the sun produces three types of rays. The safest is UVC (Ultraviolet C) because of its short wavelength. Therefore, it does not touch the skin and gets dispersed into the atmosphere. UVB (Ultraviolet B) is a little more damaging as they penetrate the skin superficially and can cause skin cancer, such as melanoma. The most danger- ous one is UVA (Ultraviolet A) which is present during daylight hours, is very strong, and can pen- etrate through the clouds and glass. It can enter the skin deep enough to cause long-term damages such as skin cancer and is the culprit for causing premature ageing by destroying collagen and elas- tin protein present in the skin. This results in the appearance of dark sunspots, wrinkles, saggy and leather-like skin. Europe’s first measurement system for UVA pro- tection was a star rating of 0 to 5, indicating the percentage of the radiation absorbed by special sun protection compared to UVB, which is the ratio be- tween the level of protection by the UVA and UVB sun rays. We must be aware that a low SPF with a high star rating does not mean that the product offers high UVA protection. Instead, it means that the UVA and UVB rate protection is about the same. A sun protection product containing a high SPF is generally classified under the ‘Broad Spec- trum’ sunscreen. If this is not confusing enough, we should pay attention to products that offer pho- tostability, which means the filters used in sun care products do not break down in the sun. ADAPTASUN and ADVANCED CELLULAR PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES Institut Esthederm's principles and understanding of how the sun works have created a new concept and technologies at the base of all their sun care products. In their unique approach to tanning solutions, the most crucial idea relies on the fact that the skin should be prepared before sunbathing by increasing the natural production of melanin in the skin. This will trigger a natural response and protection without breaking down or being a lower stability. The technology in the Adaptasun range stimulates this production to allow a longer and more even tan. Hence why, there is no SPF indication on their sun care products, but comprehensive protection adapted to the sun’s intensity: Gentle, Moderate, and Strong, to allow total and equal protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Their Cellular Protection Patent mimics the water