Some of you may have seen our previous post about sunscreen during the winter (click HERE to review it)But as important as sunscreen is for the winter, it is TWICE as important during the summer months!
The warm, bronzing rays of the sun make us feel and look good.. but only short term. In the long run, it gives us wrinkles, age spots, leather skin and possibly skin cancer.
Why is sunscreen important?
Long term exposure to sun can cause skin cancer such as actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Episodes of severe sunburns prior to the age of18 can cause melanoma later in life. This is why it is so important to protect ourselves and our children. Certain factors make some people more prone to skin cancer than others.. such as; skin type, family history, job, and history of previous burns.
2.Sun damage is the number one cause of premature aging of the skin.
UV rays damages the elastin in our skin, something that women work so hard to keep and duplicate with creams/treatments. The loss of elastin causes sagging, stretching, and wrinkling. It also makes the skin prone to bruising and tearing.
The overall appearance of your skin is enhanced and remains youthful... with the LESS sun exposure you get.
3.Sun damage is impossible to un-do. Once you've damaged your skin through over- exposure to UV rays, it's damaged for life, and the effects are cumulative.
Sun exposure very quickly cause sun damage. Those wonderful spots we call "age spots" actually refer to pigmented lesions caused by the sun. Discolouration of the skin is a major symptom of too much sun exposure, and a lack of sunscreen. These spots can be treated with excessive creams or laser treatments, but they can always reappear with future sun exposure.
What does "Sun exposure" refer to?
Sun exposure is any time spent in the sun. The obvious is; laying out in the back yard, gardening, going on vacation, trip to the beach/zoo, outdoor sports etc. What people dont realize is that driving in your car, walking to work or between buildings, cloudy day, winter sports/activities, hiking in a shady area, sitting in the shade, watching childrens activities etc
Any moment you are OUTSIDE, no matter the temperature or amount of clouds in the sky, you are getting sun exposure!!!
Remember this while you're putting your sunscreen on daily.....
The damage is easier to prevent than undo....
