Sunscreen

From LoveToKnow Skincare

Comments

Tanya, GREAT question! It's true that the majority of sun damage does occur during the first 18 years of life - according to the American Academy of Dermatology, it equates to about 80 percent! The reason is mainly because children are exposed to sunlight so frequently during youth, whether during recess at school or while playing at the park. As they grow up they spend more time outside with their friends, often without an adult around to remind them of the importance of sunscreen. And sometimes adults themselves simply don't relay just how important sunscreen is, and may not apply it to their children's skin when the kids are young. Needless to say, the side effects may not be evident immediately, but many adults pay a dear price to the damage they accrued in childhood.

To answer your other question, you are definitely doing the right thing by starting so early. The truth is that applying sunscreen needs to be done daily, which is the only way it will become habitual. The fact that you've been applying it religiously for two months is awesome, and you're setting yourself up for a lifetime of healthy skin and even keeping wrinkles and fine lines at bay in the future.

Whether or not your exposure to the sun in your earlier years will have an impact in the future is unknown, but what I understand is that it's NEVER too late to change your habits and even reverse the damage as long as you stick to this new routine.

Good luck and thanks again for your question!

Hey! I was reading an article in my mom's "More" magazine, which is a magazine targeted at women over 40. The article was written about an actress (i can't remember her name and the magazine was thrown out unfortunately)who had just turned 50 and didn't look a day over 30. She claims her secret was the precaution she took towards the sun in her younger years. Apparently, she put on sun screen everyday from the age of 15 onward. The thing is, she didn't use it before then. It has come to my understanding that most of the damage done to your skin happens in the first 18 years of your life. Is this because your skin is more subject able, or sensitive to the sun? Or is it because this seems to be the time and age group where most people don't consider health as a priority and fry them selves out in the sun everyday? So my question for you is this; I am 15 years old as it stands, going on 16 at the end of the summer. After reading the article I vowed to always wear sunscreen religiously, which is what i have been doing the past 2 months. Have I caught the problem on time? Or will the 5 years or so of my mother not forcing sunscreen on me anymore show drastically when I hit my 40's?

Thanks for the page, love the site by the way, great insight. Peace =)

Tom, great question. This is actually a good opportunity to go through the basics of sunscreen, because even though we're approaching the cooler months of the year, sunscreen is still crucial whenever the sun is out!

• Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen. This means it protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
• An SPF 15 sunscreen is fine for most people. Here's how you calculate what it can do for you. Let's say your skin normally burns within 20 minutes of being under the sun. Multiply 20 by 15 (or whatever the product's SPF is) and your result is the amount of time you could be outside without burning (in this case, 300 minutes). Needless to say, this is more than enough for most people unless you plan to spend all day outside. If this is the case, simply reapply your sunscreen at appropriate regular intervals.
• Don't forget to apply it at least 20-30 minutes prior to heading out.

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