Protection Your Skin From The Sun

With the sunny months ahead of us it’s important to pay attention to our skin’s health and protecting it. We know today that we should wear sunscreen and avoid tanning beds; however, many people still don’t listen.  According to the American Cancer Society it is estimated that nearly 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. Women may be more prone to talking about their skin and sun damage, but skin cancer is common in men too.

Sun screen is your best source of prevention, tanning oil does not count. Sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher needs to be applied every day to sun exposed areas of your skin, and if you’re outside for prolonged period of time it needs to be reapplied every 2 hours or after getting wet. Also to get the full effects of the SPF it claims, you need to slather it on. Depending on the size of the person, around one ounce is enough to cover the average sun exposed areas of a person for two hours. The majority of Americans don’t come close to using the correct amount. Spray sunscreens are the newest thing, sweeping the shelves at every store. They are easy, convenient and great if you are trying to put sunscreen on a handful of anxious children waiting to go swimming. However it is hard to tell if the proper amount is being applied because it is hard to tell how much is actually coming out. Many of us forget that lips are skin too. You can tell when they become chapped, but it is also important to realize they can get burned too and are easily susceptible to getting skin cancer. Find a chapstick with SPF 30 also. You may have to put down the ones that taste like your favorite jelly beans but there are a lot of options out there.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, but also the most easily preventable. With all that is in this world that we can’t control, you might as well get the edge on something you can. There aren’t excuses anymore.  We know UV rays are bad for us and thousands of products have been developed to help us. There is a vast array of sunscreens out there for you and your family’s outdoor activities, you can find something that works for everyone. Standard sunscreens are effective but can be greasy and aren’t always the best thing to wear daily under makeup.  There is; however, a variety daily products to help keep your protective and looking healthy.

There are a lot of noteworthy face lotions out there to try. Everyone has different skin and reacts differently to certain products, try a few and see what works for you. A moisturizer is important for skin to keep it hydrated and also helps with a smoother makeup application. A lot of us think that our foundation protects are skin and some even have SPF in it but it’s not at a high enough level to get the needed protection.  An ideal face lotion will have, like your sunscreen, a SPF 30 or higher with antioxidants to decrease damaging effects of the sun and environmental exposures. My favorite daily moisturizer is by Image. Their tinted moisturizer is amazing for all skin types. It evens out your skin tone and gives you a natural glow, while protecting you from future damage. Win Win!