By: Jessica Cook, Aesthetician
With summer fast approaching, this is the time I really have my patients be mindful of sun protection. You should first make sure that you are wearing a minimum of a broad spectrum SPF 30 on your face daily. (Broad Spectrum simply means you are protected from both UVA & UVB rays). If you are a normal skin type, then I typically recommend a chemical sunscreen such as, Revision Intellishade Tinted Moisturizer SPF 45. If you have sensitive skin, I would steer you in the direction of an all physical, micronized sunscreen such as SkinCeuticals Physical UV 50, or Skin Medica’s Daily UV Defense, as physical sunscreens tend to be less irritating on the skin.
As equally important, I stress the use of a daily antioxidant serum such as the SkinCeuticals Vitamin C & E or Revision’s Vitamin C 30%, which is applied a few minutes before the sunscreen. Antioxidants help protect the skin from environmental stressors such as chemicals and pollution that can harm the skin over time. With the use of an antioxidant, the skin becomes brighter and less wrinkled. Not only does Vitamin C protect against environmental stressors, but it also adds a significant amount of protection from the sun when used in combination with a sunscreen!! Finally I would recommend keeping the same SPF on all areas of the body that would be exposed to the sun, reapplying every 80 minutes if outdoors.
There are also some others great easy ways of protecting our skin. There are now many great hats, visors, and sunglasses to wear that help shield our faces while adding a great element of style!! My new favorite swim accessory are the fitted rash guards, they are lightweight shirts worn over a bathing suit. They can be worn in and out of the water and give you the same protection as wearing a SPF 50. They come in many colors and styles to wear. By using all of these great products we can all enjoy these sunny summer days while still keeping our skin well protected!