"Dear Sparkly,
I'm pale and no matter what I do, I sunburn. I put sunscreen on before going out and I still get burnt. Is there a way to be careful with my skin during the summer?"
Absolutely! If you know me in real life then you may have heard me get on my soap box about the importance of sunscreen. Yes, you should be wearing it all the time, no matter what month of the year, but I'm a realist and I know that most of us don't really think about sunscreen 9 months out of the year. I'm included in that, I really am.
So here's some quick facts that you need to know first: Chemical vs. Physical. Most sunscreens that you purchase are chemical which means that your body needs about 20-30 minutes to absorbs the sunscreen BEFORE it actually will work correctly. Physical sunscreens sit on top of your skin and reflect the light (so you can put those on and go out intot he summer immediately) whereas chemical sunscreens protect by absorbing the suns rays. That's why if you put a chemical sunscreen on and go right out into sun you'll still get burned.
I you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that I am a stickler for healthy products that won't harm your skin. Guess what? Sunscreen can harm your skin, too! So do some research and find products with a safe rating. I recommend the EWG website, they have an excellent guide on the best sunscreen products, many of which you can purchase at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Vitamin Shoppe.
Be sure to take care of your skin during the summer. I know that it seems really cool to be tan, but it's not cool to have skin cancer. And if you don't get that there are a few other nasty, long term, side effects. Sun spots, dry skin, wrinkles- believe me, I have clients at the spa who spend a lot of money on reversing these things because they didn't take care of their skin. Not to mention that you can also have more serious side effects like eye damage or immune system suppression (look at the FDA info).
Here's a few tips from your favorite esthetician:
-Invest in a healthy, broadspectrum sunscreen (broadspectrum protects against UVA and UVB rays)
-Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before sun exposure
-Reapply every 80-120 minutes (read the label)
-Buy new sunscreen every year (yeah, it expires!)
-Get a hat (ladies, there are some fabulous floppy hats out there)
-Limit sun exposure
-DO NOT GO TO A TANNING BED
I hope I didn't scare anyone too much, but really taking care of your skin is so important!
Questions? Comments? email me at sparklyinthecity@gmail.com
*Sprouts and Whole Foods are both having a SALE on sun protection products through this weekend*
I'm pale and no matter what I do, I sunburn. I put sunscreen on before going out and I still get burnt. Is there a way to be careful with my skin during the summer?"
Absolutely! If you know me in real life then you may have heard me get on my soap box about the importance of sunscreen. Yes, you should be wearing it all the time, no matter what month of the year, but I'm a realist and I know that most of us don't really think about sunscreen 9 months out of the year. I'm included in that, I really am.
So here's some quick facts that you need to know first: Chemical vs. Physical. Most sunscreens that you purchase are chemical which means that your body needs about 20-30 minutes to absorbs the sunscreen BEFORE it actually will work correctly. Physical sunscreens sit on top of your skin and reflect the light (so you can put those on and go out intot he summer immediately) whereas chemical sunscreens protect by absorbing the suns rays. That's why if you put a chemical sunscreen on and go right out into sun you'll still get burned.
I you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that I am a stickler for healthy products that won't harm your skin. Guess what? Sunscreen can harm your skin, too! So do some research and find products with a safe rating. I recommend the EWG website, they have an excellent guide on the best sunscreen products, many of which you can purchase at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Vitamin Shoppe.
Be sure to take care of your skin during the summer. I know that it seems really cool to be tan, but it's not cool to have skin cancer. And if you don't get that there are a few other nasty, long term, side effects. Sun spots, dry skin, wrinkles- believe me, I have clients at the spa who spend a lot of money on reversing these things because they didn't take care of their skin. Not to mention that you can also have more serious side effects like eye damage or immune system suppression (look at the FDA info).
Here's a few tips from your favorite esthetician:
-Invest in a healthy, broadspectrum sunscreen (broadspectrum protects against UVA and UVB rays)
-Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before sun exposure
-Reapply every 80-120 minutes (read the label)
-Buy new sunscreen every year (yeah, it expires!)
-Get a hat (ladies, there are some fabulous floppy hats out there)
-Limit sun exposure
-DO NOT GO TO A TANNING BED
I hope I didn't scare anyone too much, but really taking care of your skin is so important!
Questions? Comments? email me at sparklyinthecity@gmail.com
*Sprouts and Whole Foods are both having a SALE on sun protection products through this weekend*
Comments
Post a Comment