Today, a quick post about the sun. Ultraviolet light from the sun is evil to our skin. Ultraviolet light causes skin cancer and accelerates changes in the skin we associate with ageing such as wrinkles and brown spots. These are facts. It doesn’t matter if a tan “looks” good and you plan to just tan a little now and can always stop tanning later. You will hate the long term consequences to your skin more in the future than you love that tan now. There is no “safe” amount of exposure. You should be protected each and every time you go outdoors because it all adds up. The sun, of course, is not ALL bad. We need it to help grow healthy foods for our consumption. We need it for mental health (to avoid seasonal affective disorder). And yes, our bodies use it to help us make vitamin D. But take that vitamin D supplement and protect your skin from sun exposure!
The number #1 question I get on a day to day basis, is “what sunscreen should I use?”
My answer is always, “the one you are willing to use.”
There are numerous preferences and factors that might contribute to the best product for any one person and we will get into that in the future. But generally speaking, use a water resistant sunscreen with minimum spf 30 for daily use on all exposed skin (don’t forget those ears, neck, chest and arms!). When you are outdoors doing something fun, reach for a water resistant sunscreen with spf 50 or more and reapply every 1-2 hours or after sweating a lot or swimming.
It is a lot of work…I know! But that beautiful skin is worth it!
-Dr. J
