Development and Evaluation of Herbal Screen Cream for UV Protection

The skin uses sunlight to help manufacture vitamin D, which is important for normal bone formation. But there’s a downside. The sun's ultraviolet light can cause major damage to the skin. The outer layer of the skin has cells that contain the pigment melanin. Melanin protects skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays. These can burn the skin and reduce its elasticity, leading to premature Aging. People tan because sunlight causes the skin to produce more melanin and darken. The tan fades when new cells move to the surface and the tanned cells are sloughed off. Some sunlight can be good as long as you have proper protection from overexposure. But too much ultraviolet, or UV, exposure can cause sunburn. The UV rays penetrate outer skin layers and hit the deeper layers of the skin, where they can damage or kill skin cells. Herbs have been used in medicines and cosmetics from centuries. Their potential to treat different skin diseases, to adorn and improve the skin appearance is well- known. As ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause sunburns, wrinkles, lower immunity against infections, premature aging, and cancer, there is permanent need for protection from UV radiation and prevention from their side effects. Herbs and herbal preparations have a high potential due to their antioxidant activity, primarily. Antioxidants such as vitamins (vitamin C, vitamin E), flavonoids, and phenolic acids play the main role in fighting against free radical species that are the main cause of numerous negative skin changes. Although isolated plant compounds have a high potential in protection of the skin, whole herbs extracts showed better potential due to their complex composition. Cactus has antioxidants that are essential for your skin. These antioxidants protect your skin from free radicals. Cactus also has vitamin K which nourishes your skin. Making it a part of your skincare routine also helps in treating premature ageing. It reduces the appearance of ageing signs like wrinkles and fine lines. This plant is also known to treat skin problems like sunburn and pigmentation. Cactus has properties which help in lightening the skin. Cactus has a lot of water content and this is why it is great for your skin. Using cactus on your skin helps in hydration and keeps your skin moisturised. Cactus oil contains antibacterial properties which can heal acne prone skin also Cactus seed oil, which is popular for its anti-ageing properties. The gel from aloe is believed to stimulate skin and assist in new cell growth. Coconut oil resists 30% of UV rays, while sesame, peanut, olive, and cottonseed oils block out about 20%. Traditional use of plant in medication or beautification is the basis for researches and making new trends in cosmetics. Shea Butter (Vitellariaparadoxa) is derived from the fat of the shea nut. The shea tree is native to the savannahs of Africa. Shea butter melts at body temperature and absorbs rapidly into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling. It contains the antioxidants, vitamins A and E both of which enhances skin cell regeneration and promote blood circulation below the skin?s surface. Cinnamic acidin the oil provides vital protection against harmful UV rays.

Effects of UV on skin:

Sun light is mainly of wavelength from UV to visible light. UV is the ultraviolet radiation which is of three divisions such as UVA is of 320-400 nm, UVB is of 290- 320nm and UVC is of 100-290nm. Solar radiation exposure has negative effect over the human skin. UV is most harmful radiation which may cause sunburns and skin cancers Higher exposure of UV radiation may also cause photo irritation; photo aging and carcinogenesis UVA has long wavelength which penetrate and reach the bottom layer of the skin which causes tanning and aging of skin. It is lethal which increase the dermal inflammatory cells and destroy the epidermal antigen activity which is present in the epidermal Langerhans cells. It also accelerates reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes damage to cell and produces immunosuppressive cytokines. UVB has a short wavelength and enter to the epidermis and small amount into the dermis. It generates pyrimidine dimmers in DNA and damage the structure of DNA. As like UVA it also produces ROS which damages the skin cell and produces immunosuppressive cytokines UVC does not reach the surface of skin. It is blocked completely by the layer of ozone.

How the sun penetrates the different layers of the skin?

UV A rays penetrate the outer layers of the skin (epidermis) reaching the deepest layers (dermis), where several cellular structures will be affected. UV B rays are shorter and more harmful than UVA rays, although the latter reach more depth (dermis).Both UVB rays and UVA are damaging to our skin, being more or less destructive. You have to be very aware when exposing yourself to the Sun, and use maximum protection through creams or supplements, in order to just make use of the benefits which the Sun gives us.