Your Skin Hates Heat

New research suggests UV rays may not be the only damaging element to protect yourself from this hot summer season.

- Genevieve Monsma

Skin’s enemy number one is the sun. You know that. But your hair dryer? Your workout? Science now shows that heat can also wreak some serious havoc. “I knew something was up when my patients with melasma, who swore they were slathering on sunscreen and fading creams religiously and staying out of direct sunlight, found the dark patches and blotchiness on their faces were getting no better,” says Dr. Shasa Hu, a dermatologist in Miami and a member of the Dr. Brandt Skin Advisory Board. “The more I looked into it, the more it became evident that regular exposure to high temperatures appeared to be inducing oxidative damage and boosting melanin production in a way that was very similar to how UV rays cause hyperpigmentation.” For years, dermatologists have talked about the damage linked to UVA and UVB rays. “It’s as if someone roped off just those two wavelengths from the rest of the cascade of light. But we are also regularly exposed to visible light and infrared radiation [which heats the skin] and are just now starting to understand that the whole spectrum affects the skin,” says Dr. Neal Schultz, a dermatologist in New York City and a member of the Shape Brain Trust.