When it comes to protecting your skin during summer, sunscreen is non-negotiable.
Daily SPF remains one of the most important tools for helping protect the skin against the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. But while sunscreen plays a vital role in reducing UV exposure, it's only one part of the picture.
Increasingly, scientists are exploring another aspect of skin health: how resilient the skin is when it encounters environmental stress in the first place.
This concept is sometimes referred to as solar resistance - the skin's ability to withstand, respond to and recover from the oxidative stress and inflammation triggered by UV exposure.
And emerging research suggests that red and near-infrared light therapy may have an interesting role to play.
What Happens When UV Light Reaches Your Skin?
Sunlight is essential for life, but excessive UV exposure can place significant stress on the skin. When UV rays penetrate the skin, they can trigger a cascade of biological responses, including:
- Increased oxidative stress
- Inflammation
- Breakdown of collagen and elastin
- Disruption of the skin barrier
- Activation of pigmentation pathways
Over time, these processes contribute to visible signs of photoageing such as fine lines, loss of firmness, uneven skin tone and changes in skin texture.
Sunscreens help reduce the amount of UV radiation that reaches the skin. But they don't directly influence how skin cells respond to the UV exposure that still occurs.
This is where the concept of solar resistance becomes particularly interesting.
A Different Way of Thinking About Skin Protection
Traditionally, sun protection has focused on creating a barrier between UV radiation and the skin.
Photobiomodulation - also known as red and near-infrared light therapy - approaches the challenge differently.
Rather than blocking UV radiation, researchers believe specific wavelengths of light may help support the skin's own natural protective and repair processes.
In other words, instead of acting as a shield, light may help the skin become more resilient.
Can Red Light Help Prepare Skin for UV Stress?
One of the most intriguing studies in this area was conducted by researcher Daniel Barolet.
In a controlled human pilot study, participants received multiple treatments with 660nm red LED light before being exposed to UV-B radiation.
Researchers observed that 85% of participants experienced a significantly reduced sunburn response compared with untreated skin. The effect appeared to be dose-dependent, meaning the response increased with the amount of light treatment received.
Importantly, the LED treatment was not acting as a sunscreen. Instead, researchers proposed that the light had triggered biological changes within the skin that improved its ability to cope with subsequent UV exposure.
While this was a small pilot study and more research is needed, it provided some of the first human evidence that red light may help "precondition" the skin against environmental stress.
Understanding the Biology of Preconditioning
The idea of preconditioning isn't unique to skin.
Throughout biology, exposure to a mild, controlled stressor can sometimes help cells become more resilient to future challenges.
Exercise is a familiar example. A workout places temporary stress on muscles, which then adapt and become stronger.
Scientists believe photobiomodulation may work in a similar way.
When red and near-infrared light is absorbed by structures inside our cells called mitochondria - the cell's energy-producing centres- it appears to stimulate a series of beneficial cellular responses.
Research suggests this process may:
- Support cellular energy production (ATP)
- Activate antioxidant pathways
- Encourage cellular repair processes
- Help regulate inflammatory responses
- Support healthy collagen metabolism
As a result, skin cells may be better prepared to cope with environmental challenges, including oxidative stress caused by UV exposure.
Supporting Collagen When Skin Needs It Most
One of the primary ways UV radiation contributes to visible skin ageing is through its impact on collagen. UV exposure increases the activity of enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which break down collagen fibres within the skin.
At the same time, the skin's ability to produce new collagen can decline.
This imbalance contributes to the formation of wrinkles, loss of elasticity and other signs of photoageing.
Interestingly, follow-up research by Barolet found that 660nm pulsed LED treatment increased procollagen production while reducing levels of MMP-1, one of the key enzymes involved in collagen degradation.
These findings suggest that photobiomodulation may help support the healthy balance between collagen breakdown and collagen synthesis - two processes that are significantly influenced by UV exposure.
Solar Resistance Requires More Than One Strategy
While photobiomodulation may help support the skin's resilience to environmental stress, it's unlikely that any single intervention works in isolation.
Solar resistance is best viewed as a multi-layered approach that combines protection, repair and antioxidant defence.
UV exposure generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), unstable molecules that contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation and collagen degradation. While the body has its own antioxidant defence systems, these can become overwhelmed by repeated environmental stressors.
This is why antioxidants have long been considered an important part of a comprehensive summer skincare routine.
At Maysama, our formulations are built around Green Rooibos Extract, a naturally occurring source of antioxidants including Aspalathin, a unique polyphenol found almost exclusively in green rooibos. Antioxidants help support the skin's natural defence systems against oxidative stress, complementing other strategies that focus on skin resilience and recovery.
When combined with daily SPF and red and near-infrared light therapy, antioxidants may help support a more holistic approach to maintaining healthy-looking skin throughout the summer months.
Emerging Evidence for Barrier Support
Additional research continues to explore how red light may influence skin resilience. In a 2024 study involving hairless mice, researchers investigated the effects of red LED treatment before repeated UV-B exposure.
The treated animals demonstrated improvements in collagen and elastin organisation, increased levels of Claudin-1 - a protein important for maintaining skin barrier integrity- and changes in cellular antioxidant pathways associated with protection against oxidative stress.
While animal studies cannot be used as evidence of human outcomes, they provide valuable insight into the biological mechanisms that may help explain the protective effects observed in earlier human research.
Solar Resistance and Skin Longevity
At Maysama, we often talk about skin longevity. Rather than focusing solely on correcting visible signs of ageing, skin longevity is about supporting the skin's ability to function optimally over time.
This includes helping the skin:
- Maintain a healthy barrier
- Respond effectively to environmental stress
- Support collagen production
- Recover from daily damage
- Preserve a healthy, resilient appearance
Solar resistance fits naturally within this broader approach.
It shifts the conversation away from simply avoiding damage and towards supporting the skin's ability to adapt, recover and remain resilient throughout life.
What Solar Resistance Is Not
It's important to be clear about what the science does - and does not - show.
Red and near-infrared light therapy is not a sunscreen. It does not replace SPF.
Current research suggests that photobiomodulation may help support the skin's natural resilience and recovery processes when used alongside a comprehensive skincare routine, but sunscreen remains essential for helping protect skin from UV exposure.
Think of solar resistance as an additional layer of support, not a substitute for traditional sun protection measures.
The Future of Skin Protection
For decades, conversations around sun protection have focused almost entirely on blocking UV radiation. While that remains critically important, emerging photobiomodulation research suggests there may be another side to the equation.
What if healthy skin isn't just about reducing exposure to environmental stressors, but also about supporting the skin's ability to respond to them?
The science is still evolving, but early research suggests that red and near-infrared light may help support the skin's natural resilience, recovery and repair processes when used as part of a broader skincare strategy.
At Maysama, we believe skin longevity is built on layers of support. Daily SPF helps protect the skin's surface. Antioxidants help defend against oxidative stress. Photobiomodulation helps support the biological processes involved in repair and resilience.
Together, these approaches may help create stronger foundations for healthy-looking skin, not just during summer, but throughout life.
Support Your Skin's Natural Resilience
Discover how Maysama's pulsed LED technology and antioxidant-rich Green Rooibos skincare are designed to support skin longevity, resilience and radiance.
