I am an esthetician and most of my clients tell me their guilty pleasure of enjoying the sun. They are ashamed of themselves and look like they should be punished. Why?
I assume that we are all human beings living on planet earth. An earth that revolves around the sun which supports life on this planet. I assume because I am human that I am evolved enough to withstand the sun, and on top of that it just feels so damn good to soak up the UV rays. My mood is enhanced everytime I lay out.
But as the old adage goes, " Too much of a good thing is bad." If I feel a stinging sensation or uncomfortable I have overdone it. If my skin is turning pink I have overdone it. To be sun safe you need to practice body awarness and also be prepared with a hat, extra sunblock, and/or big sunglasses. You may think you are ok, but sun damage can take 10 years to surface. So play it safe with your face and neck. a little sun at a time is best and recoup moisture loss and use antioxidants.
The best sunscreen is Jan Marini spf 30 its sweatproof and waterproof and has antioxidants. You don't need spf 75. The spf number means the amount of timeyou can stay in the sun before you burn. So if you start to burn in 8 minutes an spf 30 will keep you protected for 4 hours. That's all you need on a daily basis. An spf 75 would be essential only if you were outside for 10 hours. An spf 75 isn't stronger protection it's longer protection, and the chemicals in the spf to make it last that long make it pretty unhealthy. The best bet is to get a low spf and reapply. DDF Enhancing sun protection spf 30 is an excellent sunblock. It has skintone matching color spheres and it blocks uv rays with titanium and zinc oxide. It is very safe for your skin and also minimizes redness and evens skin tone. Sanitas Solar Block is excellent for all skin types and safe to use on babies.
The difference between sunblock and sunscreen is, Sunscreen allows sunlight to absorb into the skin, but it dissipates the rays making it safer. Sunblock reflects UV rays. Sunblocks are usually thicker and whiter. They contain little shields that the sunlight bounce off of. Remember to always apply sun protection after scrubbing your skin, using retinols, getting a peel, microdermabrasion, or a wax. By doing any of these treatments you have thinned the skin and broken down it's barrier. You can hyperpigment (get dark splotches) in areas if they are not protected.
Be careful and have fun!
