Sunny Days Ahead Require Sunscreen

While I was hiking in the beautiful hills of Berkley yesterday it crossed my mind that a post on sunscreens would be appropriate. Everyone should wear a sunscreen every day. It doesn't matter if you're light skinned, dark skinned or work inside all day. Yes, those fluorescent light bulbs at work emit UV rays!

I always stress the importance of sunscreen to my clients, especially those combating pigmentation issues. I use hydrator plus SPF 25 from PCA for my personal sunscreen (review is forthcoming), but I have tried many different varieties in the past and I often found that I would still get burned, even after slathering on sunscreen and never knew why.

A friend pointed me to this site about 2 years ago and according to their research ” 3 of 5 brand-name sunscreens either don’t protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals — or both . Hundreds of all-day moisturizers advertise SPF protection, but 1 in 5 provides poor shielding from harmful UVA rays or breaks down in UV radiation “ . The FDA does not regulate sunscreens so basically they can promise whatever they want.

Now before you hop over there and start investigating the brand you’re currently using keep a couple of things in mind. The safest sunscreens are those that contain natural ingredients, but they don’t always feel or look nice (you could rub mud onto your face for protection, but how would that look). Even though your sunscreen may score in the “medium hazard” such as mine does, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to contract cancer or die from using it (my personal opinion). If your current sunscreen scores in the “not recommended” category you might want to start shopping around for something different.

When I’m finished with my current sunscreen I think I’ll give the Devita Daily Solar Protection Moisturizer or the SanRe Organic Skinfood - Supple Sunshine creams a go.

How to Apply Sunscreen:

Everyone knows you’re supposed to use it, but many of us don’t know how to properly apply it. Here’s how:

• Apply your sunscreen 30 minutes before going out in the sun. This gives the ingredients time to attach to the skin.
  
• Use enough so the skin does appear slightly whitish and then allow time for it to absorb into the skin.
  
• Reapply every 2 hours while exposed to UV rays. If you’re sweating quite a bit or involved in any activity such as swimming, where the sunscreen will be washed away, then please apply more often.
  

One last piece of advice is that you’re more likely to get sunburned when the sun's rays are the most intense. That's between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.