Sunscreen...is your new BEST friend!!!

Your skin is an amazing organ & most of us take it for granted.  Sadly 80% of our skin´s ageing is due to SUN DAMAGE & done before we reach the age of 18 - that's scary!!  Who remembers running around half naked on a beach in the summer as a kid? Or maybe running around half naked last week? Well that´s another topic for discussion!

Granted we need the sun but lets be safe in the sun & still have fun…

QUICK HELPFUL HINTS

20mins of natural sunlight daily is all we need to make Vitamin D in our bodies.

UVA (A=Ageing) are invisible (think radiowaves), are consistant, even on a cloudy day, present EVERYDAY, at their strongest 10am-4pm, penetrate thru glass, that means car windscreens, windows, conversatories, sunglasses! Cause ‘cross-linking’- lines & wrinkles to you & me & the affects are cumulative. so we don´t know it happening.

WEAR SUNSCREEN 365days a year not just in summer! UVB (B=Burning) you know when you are burning right? OOCH!! So on a hot day, remember those rays are even more powerful. SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 15 blocks out 93.33% of the rays, SPF30 blocks out 96.6% anything higher ie SPF 50 there are more chemicals in the sunscreen which make it white & hard to spread! SPF15 is the lowest you should ever go.

Research has shown an SPF4 is sufficient to protect as from moderate sun exposure. The higher the SPF, the higher the chemical count & we just do not know the long term effects these chemical have on the skin when applied daily, as there is no research done in this area! The lower the chemical count, the less chance there is of any skin irritation.

Whatever your skin colour, whatever your age, all skin burns! Reapply sunscreen approx every 2hrs when in the sun.  Hit the shade 11am-2pm.

If the sun has got his hat on, maybe you should too! If you have been out in the sun for 2 hours, ideally your body then needs you to came fully out of the sun for 2 hours! Sunbeds are NOT natural daylight, they are incredibly damaging as the UVA & UVB is not filtered & think of the visible distance between you & the tubes.

A ‘suntan’ (unless out of a bottle) is your body's way of telling you you have damaged your skin. Look at someone that does alot of sunbathing or sunbeds, does their skin look hydrated, radiant & youthful? Or does it look thickened, leathery, wrinkled, parched & pigmented (freckled, age spots)? Carry your sunscreen in your hangbag, dont be the handbag!! If a mole or freckle feels itchy, has changed shape, surface feels rougher than usual or starts to bleed, get it checked out! What you see on the surface of the skin is a tenth of what´s underneath (think of it like an iceberg).

The UK is NOT governed by a recognised body in suncare, which means spf15 from one brand does not mean it is an spf15 in another brand! For example Boots 5 star rating, is THEIR 5 star rating, no one elses. Skincare Essentials is passion about healthy skin so for your info, Environ's RAD spf 16 is approved by the Cancer Association of South Africa & Dermalogica's Solar Defense systems has won numerous awards.

Jane Iredale Pure Mineral Make Up has got it covered literally in the make up with zinc oxide & titanium oxide.

Remember be sun safe all year & you skin will love you for it!