Five Benefits of Sunscreen…Year Round
5 Benefits Of Sunscreen...
Year Round
I know what you’re thinking: It’s finally Fall! Why is she talking about sunscreen NOW?!
The truth is, I waited until Summer passed to write this blog post because I want it to be a reminder to you that Summer is NOT the only time we should be wearing sunscreen. We need to protect our skin with SPF year round.
It’s Important to Use Sunscreen Year Round
Not only should we wear sunscreen during every season, but also on cloudy days, in any geographical location and no matter your skin tone.
Why is sunscreen so important? Here are five main reasons that you should use sunscreen every day, all year:
1. It Lowers Your Skin Cancer Risk.
More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined. It’s a largely preventable form of cancer, however. Wearing sunscreen daily can cut your chances of skin cancer almost in half. And preventing a bad sunburn for your children is important too. More than five sunburns in life doubles our chance for melanoma and just one blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma as an adult. Skin Cancer can be quite aggressive, so this benefit of sunscreen is reason alone to be sure to keep up the daily SPF for the whole family.
2. It Protects Your Skin from UV Rays.
Mineral Sunscreen physically blocks harmful UV rays, which helps prevent sunburns. As our ozone layer has become increasingly depleted, UV rays have become stronger and more harmful to us.
3. It Prevents Wrinkles and Premature Aging.
Prolonged sun exposure creates something called ‘photoaging.’ Photoaging is skin damage from UVA and UVB rays and can create many skin issues, including damage that leads to premature aging. The center layer of our skin - the dermis - contains proteins like collagen and elastin that are vital to keeping our skin looking young and healthily plump. UV radiation negatively affects these proteins with the photoaging process and makes us appear older than we really are by causing wrinkles and sagging.
4. It Allows Skin Tone to Remain Even.
Another very noticeable effect of Photoaging is the appearance of ‘age spots.’ As discoloration and dark spots begin to appear in old age - due to unprotected sun exposure - we appear less youthful more quickly than is necessary. One of the best ways to maintain even skin tone and keep age spots at bay is by applying mineral sunscreen daily.
5. You Can Get a Sunburn Anytime, Anywhere.
Just because most of us typically only think of sunscreen in the summer, at the beach or on sunny days, doesn’t mean the sun’s rays only affect our skin during those times. UVA/UVB rays don’t discriminate. Even on a cloudy, overcast day, up to 80% of the sun’s rays can pass through. In fact, UVA rays can even penetrate glass so you can damage your skin while indoors if you are right in front of a window for a long period of time. Some locations and activities are particularly egregious, like winter activities such as skiing, since the sun’s rays are actually stronger at high altitudes and snow and ice reflect as much as 80% of the sun’s UV light back up to you.
Hopefully, if any of this is new information, you will consider adding sunscreen to you and your family’s daily regimen. You have the power to help your whole family’s chances of looking healthy and youthful as they age, as well as help keep them safe from skin cancer. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments, including tips about which sunscreens are our personal favorites. Now go have safe fun in that Autumn sun!
