Seven Sun Safety Fails: Oops, I Did it Again!

by Celeste Hilling, healthy skin care expert and CEO, Skin Authority

Do any of these sound familiar? Skipping sunscreen because you are running late. Digging to the bottom of your beach bag for last year’s bottle of sun protection and actually using it. Putting on self-tanner and sitting in the sun immediately after. You are committing sun safety fails!

There are a lot of misconceptions and wives’ tales about sun safety; which can definitely harm you. One in five Americans are found to have skin cancer in their lifetime. While that number is epidemic, what is more epidemic is the fact that only one in five people wear sunscreen on a daily basis. (Source: Harris Interactive). I want you to be healthy, educated and free of sun spots.

In this second post of a three-part series on the science of summer skin: the scoop on sun safety fails. These seven tips will help you be healthy, educated and free of sun spots.

1. Learn to read a label. Check the SPF number; those with SPF 15 or greater yield the best results). Scan the active ingredient label to make sure the product contains UVA- blocking elements such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or anything in the avobenzone family.
2. UVA vs. UVB. UVB (ultraviolet B rays) are the burning rays. UVA (ultraviolet A rays) are the aging rays associated with serious, long-term damage.
3. Watch out for windows. A lot of people don’t realize that that UV rays go through glass – car windows, those in your home and office, etc. Another reason to wear sunscreen daily.
4. You can wear a bathing suit over and over; you should not use the same bottle of sunscreen for years. The active ingredients in sunscreens deteriorate over time, so toss a bottle after 12 months.
5. Don’t fry, re-apply. While at the beach or other sun-drenched locations, re-applying your sunscreen at least every two hours is crucial to maintain sun protection. However, immediately re-apply after swimming or sweating. For maximum coverage, put on at least a shot-glass size amount of sunscreen.
6. Double up on safety by using a 20 percent concentration of topical Vitamin C under your sunscreen daily to boost the immune defense of your skin cells against UV damage as well as reduce the appearance of brown spots.
7. Bronzers and self-tanners often give a false sense of security from burning. Don’t go into the sun for several hours after putting on products that bronze because there are chemicals in them that make your skin more sensitive to sun exposure. Instead, apply these products later in the day and sleep in them.

About the author: With two decades in the beauty and skin care industries, Celeste Hilling is the Founder, CEO and Product Formulator for Skin Authority. Skin Authority is respected for developing pure and powerful products without the use of parabens, added fragrance, dyes or animal testing. More on www.skinauthority.com, Facebook at Skin Authority, Twitter @Skin_Authority and @MissSkin.