Don’t leave home without Sunscreen.
Several years ago I went to Maui & had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Wailea Resort & Spa. After frockling on the beach & hanging out by the pool (remember I don’t swim) for a week in my bikini I returned to California with tan lines. Have you heard of such a thing. Yes even me. I obviously didn’t have enough sun protection. I’ve always been good at applying to the face but I now lotion up with sunscreen from head to toe. As beautiful as the sun is we’ve all heard about screening up before we soak it in. So I wanted to give you the 411 on Sunscreen.
· The sun’s ultraviolet rays (UVR) produces Free Radicals & is the cause of most skin cancers, many cataracts and 90% of visible aging. It’s also the #1 Culprit for speeding up the clock.
· UVR is divided into 3 different bands: UVA, UVB, UVC. Virtually all of UVC is filtered out by our atmosphere so that none actually reaches the earth’s surface. UVB and UVA both reach the earth in significant amounts.
· UVB is “stronger” than UVA having a greater ability to cause skin damage. There is , however, about 100 times as much as UVA as UVB so that, despite being weaker, UVA is still dangerous.
Ultra Violet Rays are the strongest between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. If you are outside during those times you should have a minimum of at least an SPF 15.
If you apply an SPF 15 sunscreen, you’ll be protected for about 300 minutes, or five hours (SPF 15 x 10 minutes = 300 minutes). A person with fair skin who burns in 10 minutes would be protected for only about two-and-a-half-hours with SPF 15 (SPF 15 x 10 minutes = 300 minutes). If you have fair skin or spend an enormous amount of time in the sun you can use sunscreen with SPF numbers higher than 15.
To get the most protection from your sunscreen, apply it liberally at least 30 minutes before going outside and remember to re-apply it after swimming or perspiring heavily. Wearing sunscreen & spending moderate time in the sun is the key to beautiful skin.
