I totally get it, mornings are hard. Most days, you’re likely rushing out the door to make it to school or work just on time. You might throw on a swipe of mascara and lip gloss and call it a day, but beauty experts agree there’s one step you should never skip in your morning routine: QUALITY SPF SUNSCREEN.
Sunscreen isn’t a product reserved solely for holidays or trips to the beach.
Here are the biggest reasons why you should put sunscreen on every morning, and renew it every 2-3 hours and never skip no matter what…
An Anti-Aging Remedy
Yes, you read it. The best Anti-Aging product offered will be your daily SPF. Sunscreen protects you from UVA rays, the ones that accelerate signs of ageing. UVA are the longer of the UV rays, meaning they can penetrate your skin more deeply and affects collagen, transforming it to a broken, fragmented and structure.
This translates to visible skin changes, including textural changes, wrinkles and a sallow discolouration to the skin.
Your shield against skin cancer
More than four million cases of basal cell carcinoma (the most common form of skin cancer) are diagnosed every year in the United States, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
One in five will develop skin cancer in their lifetime in the western, and one person dies from melanoma every hour in the United States according to the American Academy of Dermatology. UV rays damage the DNA of skin cells, producing genetic mutations that can lead to cancer
Daily sunscreen use is the best skin cancer tool in addition to avoiding direct midday sun exposure altogether.
As a rule of thumb, prevention is always easier than treatment.
Protection From Hyperpigmentation
Photo-ageing caused by the sun not only results in wrinkles. Hyperpigmentation is another sign of sun damage
Sunscreen protects your skin from developing these brown pigmentation or ‘sun spots’ which aesthetically age the skin. UVA rays are the ones that lead to dark spots and blotchy hyperpigmentation. UVA causes DNA changes in melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells of our body.
Not Forgetting
While protecting yourself from skin cancer and preventing premature signs of ageing are the major benefits you get from applying sunscreen, there are some additional benefits for regular uses of sunscreen.
Many sunscreen formulations have added ingredients that can address a variety of skin issues. Mineral sunscreen agents, for example, are anti-inflammatory and can help to calm irritated skin. Some also contain moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid which helps to improve the skin’s barrier, and others have antioxidants to protect against damaging free radicals.
Physical sunscreens also act as a barrier for your face protecting you not only from UV rays but also from temperature changes, warmth, cold, wind, sun and moisture loss. It is usually preferred over chemical sunscreen that absorb the solar heat and dissipate it to the skin and its structure causing some irritation.
Finally…
You might think sunscreen is only necessary at the height of summer when you’ve got plans to lounge outside by the pool, but don’t forget that the sun’s UV rays are always present as long as there is daylight!
Even on cold and cloudy days, UV rays from the sun can damage your skin. UV rays are actually present year-round and of equal intensity during the daytime throughout the year, including winter. UV rays can even penetrate through clouds and glass. Cloudy days still allow for about 80 per cent of the UV exposure as a sunny day. UVB rays are blocked by windows, but the longer wavelengths of UVA that lead to skin ageing, sunburn and melanoma can still be transmitted through the glass. So if you drive during the day or sit near a window at work, you’re actually being exposed to UV rays throughout the whole day.
So take it as gold advice. Skip your makeup, your breakfast, your sockets 🙂
But don’t skip your SPF!!
Book a skin consultation with Dr Wafaa today to discover the right solution for you.