Hey! Today’s subject, which is often (rather unconsciously) neglected, concerns: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM THE SUNLIGHT
Every day you use dozens of creams, serums, milks and toners that are supposed to keep your face looking young, healthy and beautiful.
So do I! I meticulously select every cream and check it for having a set of nutrients that my skin needs, coenzyme Q10, vitamin E or hyaluronic acid. Additionally, I use only gentle face washes, without detergents. I regularly hydrate my face and apply natural oils that prevent water loss, leave skin lubricated and smooth.
Sadly… this isn’t enough.
What more does my face skin need? Protection!
It wasn’t that long time ago when I didn’t pay much attention to the fact whether I gave my skin enough protection. I was more concerned about whether I nourished it sufficiently, I focused on making it revitalized and rejuvenated. Now I know that the process of ageing accelerates when the skin isn’t well-protected against the environmental factors.
The most important rule concerning wise skincare says: prevent skin aging instead of trying to rejuvenate it 🙂
But do you know what you should protect the skin from?
Factors that harm your face skin:
- use of ill-matching or misuse of skincare products;
- insufficient face cleansing;
- too frequent/heavy face exfoliation;
- application of dehydrating products;
- lack of proper moisturizing (also form the inside);
- addictions: alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking;
- urban pollution, e.g. smog;
- trying to remove acne mechanically instead of curing it with proper medications;
- resigning from removing makeup, or doing it inaccurately;
- and, of course, the sworn enemy of skin – UV rays.
How does sun affect your face skin?
Our body needs to be exposed to the sun, providing that it’s done reasonably. After all, the sun improves our mood and stimulates synthesis of vitamin D that is crucial for our organizm. In general, 15 minutes of sun exposure per day suffices.
Sadly, sun overexposure isn’t beneficial at all. The more UV rays penetrate our skin, the more serious problems with it become (including health and looks of skin). How does sun affect your face skin? Here are the most common adverse effects of prolonged sunbathing.
- Sunburns (rosacea)
- Disturbed melanin synthesis: sun-induced pigmentation marks, chloasma, leucoderma
- Irritations, allergies, acne and herpes
- Photoaging that results in wrinkles and suppleness loss
What does it mean in practice?
It means that fine lines that appear too early, noticeable pigmentation marks, intensified acne and skin dryness can be the adverse effects of prolonged sun exposure!
How to protect your skin from the sunlight: Golden rules
Let me give you several tips on how to protect your skin from the sun. Of course, there are a few ways to do this but it mainly depends on how long you expose your skin to the sun and how strong the sun is.
When should you protect your skin from the sun?
It’s worth realizing that sun protection should be recognized as compulsory no matter the season because even in the winter UV rays are strong enough to damage our skin. Obviously, they are the strongest in the summer, and therefore you should provide double protection during the summertime. A similar case is with spending time at the seaside. Since water attracts sun rays, it’s better to give a doubled portion of protection when spending time at the beach, a river or open swimming pool.
Is sun more damaging at particular parts of a day?
Another issue worth bearing in mind is the rule giving us the hours when the sun is the strongest – between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. This is when it’s better to shield yourself somewhere in a shadow or do your best not to expose the body to the full sun. However, if you have to remain in the sun during these hours, always apply a sun cream first (high SPF).
The basics: Sun cream with high SPF
The basic form of sun protection depends on treating the face skin with a sun cream. You can choose between regular sun creams and waterproof products, which are obviously perfect to be used when you plan to go swimming. Another fairly obvious thing is that various sun creams offer different levels of protection. Personally I use SPF 30 sun creams because they shield my face from 95% UV rays that reaches my skin.
How to use sun cream correctly?
The most common mistake is the apparent sun protection. What do I mean? It’s a situation when you think that your face skin is protected but actually it’s not. I hate to break it to you but a sun cream applied in the morning doesn’t give you 24H protection. Basically, you should reapply sun cream every two hours, or when you leave water.
Sun cream applied to your face is just one of many options!
I know that sun creams with SPF happen to be thick and heavy. If you are sick and tired of finding a sun cream that isn’t overburdening, you can make use of color cosmetics that already contain SPF. You can protect your face skin with many foundations and powders. To me, such products make the best choice when you don’t spend your day at the beach and still get your face protected.
I guess that’s all I wanted to tell you about wise sun protection. I don’t want to elaborate on this subject any longer – I don’t want to bore you! Therefore, if you have some questions, please leave a comment. Perhaps this will inspire me to write ‘How to shield your face skin from the sunlight? Part 2’ 🙂
Kisses!
