Beach chairs check, umbrella check, cooler packed and kids are all lathered up with sun block. You’re off to a great start for an enjoyable, relaxing day at the beach but have you forgotten about someone? Um, yourself!
The importance of wearing a sunscreen to prevent future signs of aging cannot be stressed enough. The sun’s UV rays play a major role in aging your skin. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays causes photaging, the mutation of your skin’s cells that cause the most common signs of aging including wrinkles, saggy face and dry worn thin skin (Source: SkinCancer.org).
The sun’s rays cause photoaging by breaking down the skin’s collagen and increasing the amount of free radicals circulating the skin’s cells. Ultimately this weakens the skin’s natural ability to heal itself allowing the damage to display itself more dramatically as the rate of repair is slowed by the sun’s rays (Source: CDA).
The obvious solution would be to avoid the sun’s rays forever but let’s be realistic, that’s not happening any time soon. What’s a more reasonable, easy to do solution? Apply a sunscreen every day before entering the sun.
What sunscreen is right for you? Make sure to get a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF, shoot for 30 SPF or above if you can. It should provide protection from both UVA and UVB radiation. Look for sunscreens that include ingredients like avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide (Source: Merck)
How often should you apply sunscreen? Many of us do not apply enough sunscreen throughout the day. If you’re spending the day at the beach then be sure to apply more at first and then apply every 2 hours throughout the day. If you are in and out of the water or sweating a lot then apply the sunscreen more frequently even if it says it’s water resistant on the packaging (Source: SkinCancer.org).
If you’re at the office or somewhere else you may want to wear make up and applying sunscreen every 2 hours is just not possible. In addition, many sunscreens can leave a filmy residue and do not allow to apply make-up over easily. The solution, find a moisturizer that absorbs well that contains SPF in it. Wait 10 to 15 minutes for it to fully absorb then move forward with your make up routine. Alternatively, you can search for a tinted cream containing SPF that will double as both your sun protection and your make up routine. These are known a BB Creams.
