Did Astaxanthin Protect Me From A Bad Sunburn?

I did something really stupid while on vacation in Montréal last month. Luckily, I have been taking astaxanthin for about a year now and I think it prevented a severe sunburn.

I haven’t found a sunscreen yet that doesn’t have some corn derivative in it. So I had been going without and hoping for the best. Living in the southern part of the USA, that’s not the best plan. But, I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors and so far that’s worked for me.

I discovered astaxanthin last year and added it to my supplement routine because it’s such a powerful antioxidant. It comes from algae and it’s what causes salmon to be pink. It supposedly protects your skin and eyes from UV radiation. Until last month, I never really put it to the test to see if it worked.

The Stupid Thing I Did

I did everything wrong. I went to the Montréal Jardin Botanique (botanical gardens) at 10 AM and spent a fantastic four hours wandering the water gardens, rose gardens, very clever landscape sculptures, and on and on. That’s right. I was out in the summer sun during the hottest part of the day without sunscreen and no base tan.

As you see from the picture, I did get a little red on my shoulders and chest. That’s nothing compared to what I expected to happen. The redness never hurt and the next day it was tan.

What Worked in My Favor

• The gardens had lots of shady spots so I wasn’t in direct sunlight the whole time. (So more like three hours instead of four hours. Snort!) As a southerner, its natural to gravitate to the shady whenever possible.
• I’m no longer on medications that can increase sensitivity to the sun like birth control pills and blood pressure medication.
• I’ve been taking astaxanthin for over a year.

Please don’t do what I did. If you can find a sunscreen that works for you, use it. Skin cancer is no joke. But if you decide to add astaxanthin to your routine, make sure you buy a natural algae-based one. There are many artificially-created astaxanthin supplements on the market that may do more harm than good.

Astaxanthin research

• Sunscreen in a Pill
• Eye Antioxidant benefits
• Eye Health and Astaxanthin (PDF)

Over the next couple of weeks, I have more to share with you from my Montréal vacation:  allergy-friendly restaurants, and even a bakery, in both Montréal and Québec City.

[pin_board url=”http://www.pinterest.com/jkhudson33/montréal-vacation-2014/” size=”custom” image_width=”100″ board_width=”640″ board_height=”250″]

The post was shared with Mix It Up, Block Party, Sweet Sharing, Much Ado, Clever Chicks, Round Tuit, Motivation Monday, Inspiration Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Sweet & Savory, Simple Life, Saturday Sparks, Savoring Saturdays, Flaunt It, Dare to Share, Serenity Saturday, Crafty Showcase, Saturday Showlicious, Simple Saturday, Weekend No Rules, Anything Goes, Frugal Friday, Fancy This, Friday Favorites, Inspiration Spotlight, Welcome to the Weekend, Real Food Friday, Old Fashioned Friday, Natural Family, Unprocessed Friday, Simple Meals, Craft Frenzy, Kitchen Crafty, BFF Open House, Inspired Weekends,  Weekend Retreat, Handmade Hangout, Homeacre Hop, Feathered Nest, Tutorial Thursday, Inspire Us Thursday, Simple Lives, Let’s Get Real, Pennywise Platter, Tutorial Tuesday, Wildly Original, Fabulously Frugal, It’s A Party, Real Food, Wicked Awesome, Fresh Foods, Look What I Made, Creative Exchange, Southern Special, No Rules Weekend, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Mountain Woman Rendezvous, Wellness Wednesday, Doggone Dirty Craftin’,  Healthy Tuesday, Hearth & Soul, Allergy Free, Meet Up Monday and Full Plate.