Ahhh, summer is finally upon us. I’m definitely loving the warmer weather, cool breeze, longer days; and it’s just so much sunnier! But, before you head out the door, you may want to read on first…
Did you know that…
- the damage we get from exposure to the sun rays account for approximately 90% of the visible aging on our skin?
- exposure to harmful UVA and UVB leads to free radicals in the skin? These free radicals cause much damage leading to wrinkles.
- one single day under the sun without protection can have life-long implications?
- that sexy tan you just got is actually sun damage? Over exposure to the sun causes an increase in the skin’s production of melanin — they are the dark pigments that give our skin that golden glow.
- even unexposed areas of our skin are not safe from the sun? Sun rays are able to penetrate through even our clothing?!
- we are exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays even in the dead of winter?
While it’s not possible to shun the sun forever, we can be a little more careful and dilligent in taking care of our skin when we do step out. It’s never too early or too late to take care of our skin to ensure that we lessen our chances of getting skin cancer and those pesky premature wrinkles.
Prevention really is the key. I believe it’s better to prevent while you’re young insteaed of correcting when the damage is done. It’s just a lot more economical and healthy! Honestly, I’m a fan of the tan, but I won’t bake it if I can fake it (LOL).
SPF decoded
So, what really is the difference between SPF 15, 25, 30, 55, etc??
Well, the Sun Protection Factor indicates how long we can stay out in the sun for before we get sunburn. So, if you have olive skin, then you would burn after 15 minutes without any protection. Wearing sunscreen with an SPF factor of 30 will increase it to 450 mins. or 7.5 hours. HOWEVER, wearing sunscreen does not make it alright to go and bake under the sun.
What to ingredients to look for.
- Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are great physical blockers of UV rays. Think of a tennis ball hitting a racket, well, the same concept applies to these two great sunscreen ingredients. They bounce the UV rays back, preventing them from penetrating the skin.
- Parsol 1789 aka. Avobenzone is a great broad spectrum ingredient. It is not as great a physical blocker as Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide are, but this ingredient is definitely beneficial in warding off those long spectrum** UVA rays.
As for myself, I like to try out different brands of sunscreen, but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE:
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