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Sun Health
If you're like me, you love the healthy glow of sun as it tans your skin. But perhaps you ask, is tanning really safe? We hear so much these days about sunlight and cancer -- yet, why is it that we feel so happy in the sun? How can something that feels so good be bad for your health? It is true that if you overdo the sun without applying SPF sunscreens or protective products like copper peptides, you may harm and age your skin without reaping health benefits of the sun.
So what is the key to obtaining sun health and a beautiful tan? Moderate sun exposure is the key. Dr. Loren Pickart's copper peptides with copper binding GHK protect against ultraviolet UV radiation. These miraculous molecules provide skin antioxidants that offer anti skin aging benefits. Along with copper peptides, chemical free sunscreens reduce cancer caused by toxic ingredients while promoting young looking skin.
The key to sun health is safe tanning as you bask in the sunshine of radiant skin.
Copper Peptides Protect against UV Radiation
A certain amount of sunlight is necessary for good health, but over exposure may produce skin damage, wrinkling, and other unwanted effects. Skin tanning and sun damage are not the same. Tanning (melanin production) is good, but the goal is to avoid sun damage.
Copper-Peptides supply nutritional copper to the skin. Numerous studies by the US Department of Agricultiure Nutrition Laboratories have indicated the dietary copper levels in the USA are too low for optimum health.
Copper binding peptides such as the human copper binding tripeptide, GHK, protect cultured keratinocytes from lethal UV radiation. Our genome studies found that the human copper binding tripeptide activates many genes that increase the production of SRPP proteins (small proline rich anti-oxidant proteins that protect skin cells their DNA from oxygen radicals) and many genes associated with the ubiqutin - See more about this below.
Products with pure titanium dioxide which blocks ultraviolet rays reduce the intensity of sun exposure. Biological oil such as squalane also help protect your skin.
Questions or Advice?
Email Dr. Loren Pickart at drlorenpickart@gmail.com
Call us at 1-800-405-1912 Monday Through Friday (8 am to 6 pm) PST
What are Copper Peptides?
Copper peptides are the combination of small amino acid chains with copper 2+ (blue copper). Dr. Pickart's entire career focused on the question of why blood from young persons (20-25) supported cells and tissues better blood from older persons (60-80). During this work, he isolated the copper binding tripeptide GHK (Gly-His-Lys) which appeared to be the major reason for the superiority of young blood.
For skin health, a variety of copper peptides are able to transfer nutritional copper into the skin. GHK-copper works well on skin but Pickart has found other copper peptides that are more effective.
GHK's unique chemistry only becomes important within the human body. There is a fierce competition for copper 2+ and GHK has the exact binding affinity to transfer copper in and our of cells and tissue. Almost, all other peptides cannot compete for copper 2+ in the body.
However, there are very low levels of GHK in the body and the small amount of copper it transfers must trigger a special system that controls or strongly affects about 3,600 human genes or 16% of the human genome.
We are currently analyzing genome and biochemical data to understand the function of GHK in humans. The primary cause of aging and disease is a silencing of active genes as we age but these dormant genes can be turned on under the right stimulus. GHK may act to "set" "or "reset" the youthful gene pattern.
SPF and UV Radiation
The ability of a sunscreen to protect the user from UVB rays is defined as its Sun Protection Factor (SPF).
The SPF is the ratio of the amount of ultraviolet radiation required to produce minimal pinkness (erythema) in skin covered by a sunscreen, assessed 24 hours after exposure, to the amount of UV radiation required to produce a similar level of pinkness in unprotected skin.
If a sunscreen reduces the effect of sunlight on skin by 50% it would have an SPF of 2, if by 75%, the SPF would be 4, and so on.
Most sunscreens have SPF ratings from four to as high as 40 or 50.
The level of protection from ultraviolet radiation provided by the product increases as the value of theSPF rating increases.
The SPF applies for UVB rays only. The protection provided against UVA rays in chemical sunscreens is about 10% of the UVB rating.
An SPF of 15 will provide 15 times the amount of protection you'd get without using anything.
An SPF of 15 filters approximately 92% of the sun burning rays. For UVA the degree of protection is defined as the Phototoxic Protective Factor (PPF).
These values are much lower, ranging from 1.5 - 4.8, because the energy contained in UVA is so much less.
Why Sunshine Makes You Happy
A certain amount of sunlight on your skin may be necessary for good health.
Sunlight activates a gene called pom-C, which in turn helps create melanin that determines skin color and enhances sex drive, the endorphins or “happiness hormones”, and leptin, which helps burn fat keep you thin.
In the USA, people who have high sunlight exposure (farmers, mail carriers) live the longest. The key is to find methods to receive adequate sunlight exposure while reducing skin damage.
Can Tanning Really Make you Healthy?
The production of healthy melanin in the skin creates a powerful protective and anti-oxidant system in the skin. The key during sunning is to obtain tanning with a minimum of damaging free radical damage to the skin.
Melanin is created from the amino acid tyrosine by a copper-containing enzyme called tyrosinase. Without adequate nutritional copper in the skin, there is no tanning and only skin damage.
During safety studies on copper peptides products performed at UCSF by the world reknown dermatologist, Howard Maibach, it was found that strong copper peptides creams that were in a small cup and taped to a human volunteer's thigh for five days, would induce strong melanin production on the total absence of light.
This means that UV light is not absolutely neccessary for tanning the skin, but adequate copper in the skin is critically needed.
Skin Research & Technology
Dr. Pickart's discoveries on CPs have been verified by published articles at over 50 laboratories in leading universities and research institutes.
| Higher Tissue Copper Levels |
| 1. Reduce oxidative damage in tissues |
| 2. Diminish protein crosslinking and glycation |
| 3. Raise pain reducing enkephalins or "happiness hormones" |
| 4. Improve immune system function |
| 5. Raise DHEA levels, metabolism, and sex hormones |
| 6. Increase neurohormones that raise mental alertness |
| 6. Increase neurohormones that raise mental alertness |