One of our best friend-enemy is definitely Mr Sun. This enormous star gives us energy and possibilities to live on this planet we call Home. Although its immense powder is a benefit as well as a damage.
Sun exposure is responsible for most of the visible ageing of your skin—far more than all other factors combined.
Here our guide to protecting your skin while enjoying your summer.
Why?
UV radiation is part of the electromagnetic (light) spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun. It has wavelengths shorter than visible light, making it invisible to the naked eye. These wavelengths are classified as UVA, UVB, or UVC. Most UVC is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not reach the earth but UVA and UVB penetrate the atmosphere and play an important role in conditions such as premature skin ageing, eye damage (including cataracts), and skin cancers. They also suppress the immune system, reducing your ability to fight off these and other maladies.
When?
Wear sunscreen every day. Sunny, overcast, whatever. Even when it's cloudy UVA and UVB are reaching your derma causing invisible-visible damage while you're just enjoying your glass of wine at 6 pm.
How do I incorporate it into my skincare routine?
Sunscreen acts as a shield that blogs UV radiation and protects your derma. If you think about it, you definitely don't want to use as your fist skincare step, or your skin won't be able to drink all the nutrients that you're applying with so much care. So our tip is to apply sunscreen after your daily skincare routine. Apply it at least two times a day if you're about to be outside the whole day.
What's the best type?
There are to types of sunscreen on the market: Physical and Chemical. Let's have a look at both.
Physical sunscreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking the sun's rays. They're usually made of titanium dioxide (TiO2) or zinc oxide (ZnO). Titanium dioxide can be problematic for some people (if you break out from mineral makeup and physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide could be the problem), but zinc is used in diaper-rash cream and is usually pretty easy-breezy on most people's faces. Physical sunscreens tend to be thicker in consistency and usually are opaque, and they start working immediately. They do have to be reapplied more often, as they tend to rub off easily.
Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun's rays via a chemical reaction and dispelling the excess energy as heat. They're generally more irritating to skin than the physical sunscreens, but they can offer more consistent coverage against UVA and UVB rays. They're usually colourless, odourless, and usually “runny' in texture. Also, you're recommended to wait 20 minutes after application before you go in the sun, to get the maximum effect. You can identify a chemical sunscreen by reading the list of ingredients on the back; if it contains Octocrylene, Avobenzone, Octinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone, Homosalate, Helioplex, 4-MBC, Mexoryl SX and XL, Tinosorb S and M, and Uvinul T 150 and Uvinul A Plus, it's chemical.
There is a third group of sunscreen that we want to talk about: eco-friendly sunscreen. Every year between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen washes off of tourists during their vacations. This sunscreen contains chemicals and oils that are harmful to the marine ecosystem, particularly coral reefs. We don't think of it, but when we swim in the water, these oils come off and settle on the coral reefs and other marine life, and in volume can almost act like an oil slick in the water, creating damage to the delicate ecosystems. The reefs are suffocated, and sunscreens are one of the biggest causes of bleaching to our reefs, and the death of much of the world's coral. Oxybenzone, a common ingredient in sunscreens, has even been shown to feminize fish.
When you're in the city, working, walking, running, whatever, use your favourite sunscreen. When it's time to go to the beach, please choose a Biodegradable sunscreen to protect our wonderful sea and all the creatures that live in it.
Biodegradable sunblock is environmentally friendly sunscreen that lacks the harmful ingredients that are destroying the world's coral reefs. These sunscreens are biodegradable, meaning they break down naturally in the environment, and eco-friendly, meaning that they minimize damage to the environment. We strongly encourage using only biodegradable sunscreen anytime you are going to be in the water.
Friendly reminder: Your skin does not stop at your neck. Which means, that accurate regimen you're doing on your face and decoltè should absolutely extend to the rest of your body. The first place to start? Your #legs! 💦
Here there are our tips for Legs to Envy!
Have nice sunny day ;)