How To Be Safer in the Sun
This week is Sun Awareness Week.
Each year the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) runs a campaign between April and September to raise awareness of skin cancer. Through self-examination and education, we can learn to protect ourselves.
Personally I love the Sunshine. It makes me feel happy and light and uplifted. I love having a tan on my skin because I feel it makes my skin tone more even and I feel more body confident, but …..
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK. This disease kills over 2,500 people per year and UV exposure is the main PREVENTABLE cause. (reference www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk)
What are we being exposed to?
Ultraviolet rays, InfraRed rays and visible light.
It is the Ultraviolet rays that we need to protect ourselves from. You are probably more familiar with the terms UVA and UVB rays.
UVA – is known as the AGEING ray. This penetrates the skin deeply causing damage and breaking down elastin and college in our skin, even on cloudy days! These rays can also penetrate glass. 80% of all ageing is caused by the Sun.
UVB – is known as the BURNING ray. These rays affect the melanin in our skin. Melanin is a pigment in our skin produced by cells called melanocytes and is what gives our skin its colour.
Both have the ability to mutate the DNA of our skin cells. We can’t see or feel the damage until it is done.
How Can You Protect Yourself?
- Stay out of the sun during its strongest hours
- Wear protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, cover ups
- Choose a broad spectrum sun protection cream (protecting from UVB and UVA rays)
- Wear sunscreen every day, even when its cloudy.
Sunscreen mistakes you could be making
- Using last years! Exposure to heat and sunlight from a car or your beach bag can change the chemical formula of your sunscreen, check the expiry date if unopened but ideally, you should change your sun cream after 12 months.
- You don’t use enough. The rule of thumb is a shot glass full on each application.
- Reapply, Reapply, Reapply! Don’t be stingey.
- SPF in our foundation isn’t likely to be enough, we don’t wear it thick enough, use a facial moisturiser with an SPF under your foundation or BB cream.
- Water-resistant sun cream needs to be reapplied sooner if you are sweating or have been in the pool.
What about Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is known as the Sunshine Vitamin for good reason. Our bodies make vitamin D from the cholesterol in our skin when it’s exposed to the sun.
Vitamin D is really important, it contributes to the maintenance of bones and teeth, normal muscle function and supports the immune system reducing the risk of diseases such as Osteoporosis, fatigue, depression and certain Cancers.
How much sun exposure is enough though? Research advises that exposing our skin to the sun in the UK at noon (therefore the sun is at its strongest and you don’t have to expose your skin for so long) for 13 minutes 3 times a week is enough to keep our levels optimal. You need to expose about a third of your skin, so think vest top and shorts. You can see how we can easily become lacking in Vitamin D in the UK!
So what about sunscreen, does this affect our Vitamin D absorption as sunscreen contains chemicals or minerals that either reflect, absorb or scatter sunlight.
Studies show that when using sunscreen and exposing your skin to the sun for longer periods of time (because your skin is safer as you are wearing sunscreen) Vitamin D levels are not affected. Good news!
Conclusion
From my research, I would recommend wearing facial sunscreen every day, even just for vanity if you don’t want to be affected by ageing UVB rays. Exposing the rest of our skin without protection for a short time, especially if you aren’t getting a great deal of sun exposure, is beneficial for Vitamin D production. If however you are exposed to the sunlight on a regular basis a sunscreen of a minimum SPF15 will protect you further but will need to be reapplied regularly (approx every 2 hours) and a minimum SPF30 for a longer period in the sun (ie sunbathing). Reference
Is all sunscreen created equally?
Sadly not. There can be a great deal of chemicals used in our sunscreens.
70% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies and it’s our blood and liver and kidneys that have to deal with filtering these out.
One of my favourite products to use was the Forever Living Products sunscreen, I recommended it to everyone! The first ingredient listed was Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, not water like so many other products which causes problems when heated on the skin such as rashes like prickly heat which my son suffered from.
Unfortunately, EU restrictions caused Forever to have to reformulate this product. It was off the market for about 18 months before being relaunched. The reformulation however now contains zinc oxide which can create a white cast on the skin, it isn’t easy and luxurious to apply and I fell out of love 🙁 It is still a great product but not for me.
Time to search for a new product which ticked all my boxes:
- No zinc oxide
- Broad Spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB)
- Environmentally friendly (Reef and Coral safe) NB: Not that I go diving or even in the sea but we have to be mindful that when we shower our sunscreen off, where does it go….? To the sea!
- Water-resistant (this relates to sweating as well as the pool)
- Not tested on animals – even the individual ingredients (beware!)
- Will nourish my skin as well as protect it
A long list, I know, but all those points are important to me.
I FOUND ONE!
I found one which has also lead me to add another branch to my Health and Wellness business! Some things are just meant to be.
I am so pleased to announce that I am now an ambassador for Tropic Skincare. There is an amazing range of ethically sourced, environmentally friendly products from skincare right through to makeup that I can’t wait to recommend.
Scroll down to find the links to my social sites and there will be more information available to view there.
However you decide to protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of the sun this year, please be mindful and don’t compromise your health or that of the environment, do your research before you buy your next bottle 🙂