If you are into skincare, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on your products if you refuse to spend any of that on sunscreen. At this point, most of us know that sun exposure can lead to premature skin aging. On top of that, some of the ingredients you may be using to treat your skin conditions (think some acids and retinols) make your skin more sensitive to the sun. I am sorry to break it to you. If you are trying to get to the point where people can’t guess your age based on your youthful skin, you need to be using a sun protectant of some sort.
If you are wearing sunscreen, there a few rules you should follow.
- When you get ready to apply it to your face and neck, use enough that would fill a teaspoon.
- Please, make sure you apply your sunscreen 15 minutes before you go out in the sun. This allows the sunscreen time to dry down and form the protective film on your skin.
- Use an SPF 30 or higher if you will be spending extensive time outside. SPF 15 should be enough if you will only be outside intermittently.
- And yes, even in the winter and when it’s cloudy out, please wear your sunscreen even then.
With the way sunscreen works, it breaks down with sun exposure. Hence the need to reapply when you spend the day outdoors (and all the sweating and swimming causes it to come off). But if you are going to be inside most of the day, applying your sunscreen liberally in the morning might be enough. You can always reapply before you leave back out (say if you are leaving your office to commute back home).
Please before you try another miracle product, make sure you’ve also added sunscreen to your morning skincare regimen. That’s it. I’m off my soapbox.
The sources I referred to:
Carroll, M. (2020). 9 Must-Know Facts About Sunscreen. National Foundation for Cancer Research. https://www.nfcr.org/blog/9-must-know-facts-about-sunscreen/
Richard, E. (2022). All about sunscreen: Why you need it. How it works for you. Skin Cancer Foundation. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/
Wong, M. (2022). Why Do I Need to Apply Sunscreen Before Sun Exposure? Lab Muffin Beauty Science. https://labmuffin.com/need-apply-sunscreen-sun-exposure/
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