Shedding Some Light on Sunblock
Monday, May 18th, 2009SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON SUNBLOCK
The number one anti-aging ingredient is SUNBLOCK. UVA and UVB rays destroy collagen, which is the protein that keeps our skin plump and young looking. Sorry people, but there is NO SUCH THING as safe tanning. It doesn’t exist. There are no safe tanning beds and getting a base tan to protect the skin is a delusional magic trick that would even impress David Copperfield. So here are the truths as well as some tips and tricks to keep you looking young for as close to forever as possible.
1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer. The sun actually mutates and changes your DNA. That means keep reading and follow the below instructions.
Sunblock is NOT waterproof all day long. If you go swimming or are sweating, you must reapply it every hour to hour and ½. They are only water resistant for 40 minutes!!
The number of the SPF means that it will take you that much longer before you burn. So if you normally burn in 12 minutes, an SPF of 10 will give you 120 minutes more protection before you burn. This is assuming that you applied enough sunblock. Applying too little will decrease the SPF.
SPF means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in regards to the cancer and aging sunrays. SPF only absorbs UVB rays, which are the rays that mostly give color. So while you might not get color, it doesn’t mean that you are not wrinkling by the second! An SPF 60 only gives minimally more protection than SPF 15. Even if it was SPF 200, you would still need to reapply it every hour or so if you are swimming or sweating outside.
T-shirts only give a UVB protection of about a 4 and yes you can get sun damage through house and car windows. Put sunblock on your whole body to prevent aging.
Even if you never go tanning or lay on the beach you are still getting 18 hours of sun damage per week doing your normal everyday activities. On the most cloudy day, you are getting sun damage in the form of UVA rays which of course are the most deadly.
If you use a moisturizer with a sunblock in it, STOP! Just use a pure sunblock as your daily moisturizer. Combining them lowers the SPF. If you need more moisture, use a hydrating serum or booster.
TANNING BEDS ARE CANCER COFFINS AND SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. Any questions?!
If your skin is sensitive, use a sunblock with physical sunscreens like zinc oxide and titanium oxide. These are natural and much less irritating. As always make sure the sunblock is not mineral oil, lanolin, petroleum based. These ingredients tend to clog pores.