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Four facts you should know about Sun Protection – Stratford upon Avon

Firstly, there are two rays you need to be aware of and protected from –

UVA rays or as I say UV AGE rays are a longer wavelength and can penetrate through clouds, windows and glass. These rays penetrate deeper into the skin and harm the skin by causing ageing, wrinkling, broken capillaries and photodamage. You can’t feel these rays and they are around 365 days of the year. (Check out the truck driver) Most sun beds operate with a lot of UVA which leads to accelerated ageing. Think Benidorm – expat skin!

UVB rays or as I say UV BURN are shorter rays which you can feel. These are the main rays that cause sunburn. UVB rays are also thought to cause most skin cancers.

Always look for an SPF that say Broad Spectrum – Covers both UVA & UVB

Physical sunscreens work by sitting on top of the skin and deflecting or scattering UV rays away from the skin. They contain ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium oxide or a combination of both. These are good for anyone with acne- prone or sensitive skin, prickly heat. Sometimes leave a chalky look on the skin, however modern physical sunscreens no longer feel thick and heavy on the skin and don’t usually clog the skin.

Chemical sunscreens contain organic compounds like oxybenzone, avobenzone and octinoxate that create a chemical reaction that changes the UV rays into heat which then gets released by the skin. Chemical sunscreens can feel nicer on the skin and often have the added benefit of peptides, antioxidants in their make up. Plus you can get these in a water proof version, downside – can clog the skin and cause allergic reaction.

Heliocare is a mix of both, Rad is mainly physical with a tiny about of chemicals +vitamins A,C & E

What does SPF mean? It’s a numbers game.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and measures how long a sunscreen protects the skin from UVB rays, specifically the amount of time that you can be in the sun without getting sunburned. For example, an SPF 15 will allow you to be in the sun 15 times longer than if you were without protection – this is a rough guide as some people burn within 10 minutes.

How much sunscreen is enough?

I was once on a seminar where an American Professor said “ You Brits are the only people I know that expect a tube of sunscreen to last a two week vacation”. Truth is most of us don’t wear enough sun protection to get the full cover.

Do apply often, every 2 hours is good or more when sunbathing or enjoying sports.

Do not get caught out on cloudy/windy days – sun rays can still burn through cloud.

Do not rely solely on an SPF as you can still burn. Wear a hat, sunglasses & REMEMBER -AVOID THE MID DAY SUN

Q – If its in my moisturiser am I covered?

A – It is already diluted so apply after skin routine but before make up, same goes for your make up if it is in there treat as an added bonus

INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE SKIN – WEAR SPF EVERY DAY AND AGE BETTER.

Remember that WE need sunshine to make Vitamin D. I recommend that you supplement your Vitamin D levels if you wear SPF every day to make sure that you get enough Vitamin D throughout the year. It is currently recommended adults in the UK take 400IU everyday as a MINIMUM. Which is why we recommend Skin Vit A and Skin Vitality 1 – both have vitamin d in there and are also great for the skin.

BE SUN SAFE. NOT SUN SORRY. Thanks for reading Mary x

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