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:

MAC’s Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
This product is just AWESOME. This is great worn alone, and even better for those who wear foundation as it acts as a primer (primers are meant to create a good canvas for makeup). Your makeup will not slip with this. I just LAHHVVIITTT.
It does feel a little greasy at first, but the skin soaks it up in no time, leaving a silky finish to the skin. This is also broad spectrum and absorbs oil from our skin leaving us with that great finish.

Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion in SPF 50 +++

This is also great! The texture is closer to lightweight lotion. Not at all creamy or greasy. The scent is nice, but not too overpowering and it leaves your skin smooth and silky. I like the runny consistency of this Sun block because it’s easier to use for reapplication over makeup.

Clinique Sun with Solar Smart in SPF 50

This product is great. It goes on a little creamy, but my skin absorbed this product quickly and was not left with white film like other sunscreens have in the past. With the Solar Smart technology, our skin benefits from both protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays and the added help from the anti-oxidants that work to fight free-radicals that lead to wrinkles. Great!

Drugstores also have excellent sunblock for a fraction of the price of the ones I’ve just listed. Neutrogena makes excellent sunblock, too. And the higher end brands like Vichy, ROC, and La Roche Posay carry great sunblocks with advanced technology ingredients like Mexoryl, etc.

The downside to brands like Shiseido, Neutrogena, La Roche Posay, Vichy, and ROC, however, is that they do test on animals…
. So, for those of you concerned about animal cruelty, you may want to try natural products which, thankfully, are being carried by more and more drugstores. Estee Lauder, which owns Clinique and MAC, does not test on animals. Peter Thomas Roth, and many other brands carried by Sephora also don’t perform animal testing. For a list of cruelty free brands, here’s a useful link:
http://www.mymakeupmirror.com/MakeupWithoutCruelty.html

Hope this helps!

** UVA rays have long spectrum, thus they are able to penetrate even deeper than UVB. The problem with UVA rays is that there is no short term effect unlike the short term effect of UVB rays that include sun burn or sun tan.
source: 1, 2, 3, 5

- Mary