Skinsaviour Summer Skin Care

Skinsaviour Summer Skin Care
Summer Sun and Skin Care
Summer can be a lot of fun with family, food and festivities but hard on your skin. Of all environmental factors, sun damage is the worst we can inflict on our skin. Staying out of direct sunlight at peak times of the day, covering up with clothing that is sufficiently tightly woven to protect and most importantly using a sunscreen will all help to protect our skin. Sunglasses also have a rating as to how much protection they give to the delicate eye area - check yours is high enough for when you intend to wear them when you buy new ones.
FACT: Did you know your sunscreen has an expiry date - check yours!
Do you know your sun block from your sunscreen?
Sun block as the name suggests, acts as an actual physical block to the sun's rays getting to the skin and contains titanium or zinc. People usually have a good tolerance to sun blocks and they are the least likely to cause an allergic reaction as the particles are not absorbed into the skin. They are inert so do not breakdown quickly and last longer on the skin. Invisible zinc is now available that disappears into the skin and doesn't leave a white residue. Sunscreens contain chemical ingredients and are powerful absorbers of UV radiation, but need to be applied more frequently.
Common ones are:
• PABA - PABA was an early chemical sunscreen that often induced sensitivity reactions. PABA esters - glyceryl, padimate A and padimate OSalicylates
• Cinnamates -Octocylene is a cinnamate with both UVA and UVB absorbing properties.
• Mexoryl - ecamsule
FACT: UVA and UVB radiation can both damage the skin- an ideal sunscreen provides protection from both types of radiation.
What do you really know about SPF?
The SPF system measures only the degree of protection from UV rays and is not an exact measurement, but a guideline only. No rating system exists that measures the degree of protection from UVA exposure. UVA does not cause reddening or pain and therefore not related to hot weather (this is why we can have damage from the sun in winter time or on a cloudy day).
SPF stands for sun protection factor. The SPF numbers on a product range from a low of 2 to a high of 60. SPF 30 is a high as we need to go. These numbers refer to the product's ability to screen or block out the sun's burning rays. The SPF rating is calculated by comparing the amount of time needed to produce sunburn on protected skin to the amount of time needed to cause sunburn on unprotected skin. So the higher the SPF, the greater the sun protection. More important than the number of your SPF is how often you apply it - read the directions.
The sun's rays contain different wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) light. The two types of UV rays that pass through the earth's atmosphere and cause damage to the skin are UVB and UVA. UVB rays are the main cause of sunburn. Both are responsible for heightening the risk of skin cancer. Both are factors that contribute to wrinkle formation, freckles, so called age spots (which are actually sun damage).
The strength of UVB radiation depends upon the time of day, season of the year, and geographic location on the earth's surface. UVB rays are most intense from 10 am to 2 pm and are stronger in summer, at higher altitudes, and closer to the equator you are the stronger they get. Remember that you can get sun damage any time of day - it is just more intense at peak times.
FACT: Unlike UVB rays, UVA rays can travel through glass and penetrate to cause damage yo the deeper levels of the skin - wear sun protection when you drive.
What is the lasting effect of sunburn?
Studies have conclusively shown us that sunburn raises the chances of us developing melanoma skin cancer. You do not need to get the redness and pain and blisters of a bad case of sunburn to do damage to your skin. The effect of sun exposure is accumulative; therefore the collective sun exposure you are subjected to over a lifetime can cause damage to the skin.
Sun damage is not related to skin colour - if you are dark skinned you may be more likely to experience hyper pigmentation as well as sun damage. Your dark skin will be roughly the equivalent of a fair skinned person wearing an SPF2 so sunscreen is just as important to use whenever exposed to the sun.
Many people don't put sunscreen on as they are not ‘actually going out in the sun'. If you add up all the walking to and from the car, the office, hanging out washing and so on that daily life involves - you are still getting a significant amount of sun exposure - wear sunscreen on a daily basis. Sun damage can occur on cloudy as well as sunny days. Remember too, some surfaces reflect UVR rays such as sand, concrete, water and snow.
FACT: Anyone can develop skin cancer without burning - it is mainly caused by accumulative sun exposure over time.
But I don't want to be white all summer…
There is no safe way to tan - a tan acquired under a tanning device such as a solarium is still giving you full exposure to UVR (ultra violet) rays. Your risk therefore is the same.
Fake tanning products have come a long way from the early bright orange disasters and are more foolproof to use - as long as you exfoliate thoroughly before use, follow directions carefully and wash your hands immediately after using! Artificial or fake tanning products will not give you any sun protection - some do contain sunscreen but the same rules apply to sunscreen and you will need to re apply after a few hours in the sun.
If you are insistent on tanning under the sun, do so with the least possible damage to the skin. Slowly reducing the SPF factor and carefully monitoring the time you are in the sun so as you tan gradually and don't burn. Also - consider using a fake tanning product on the face and cover this area from sun exposure.
FACT: Any tan from UV rays is your skin's response to damage and increases the chances of premature aging.
Don't only older people get skin cancer?
Melanoma has no respect for age and younger people should be checking their skin on a regular basis. Skin cancer is usually defined in two ways - melanoma and non melanoma. Melanoma is not the most common form of skin cancer but by far the most deadly as it can spread to other parts of the body if left untreated. To be treated it needs to be detected. Check your skin regularly for changes in size, shape, colour of existing spots or new spots that have appeared. Sometimes they can be multi coloured or have an irregular and poorly defined shape.
Get someone else to look over your back and if you are in doubt - get it checked out. For peace of mind, there are clinics you can go to that do a full body scan for and especially if you have family history of skin cancer or have a large number of moles or unusually shaped ones, this is advisable.
Early detection means early treatment that is usually quick and effective.
FACT: Melanoma is the most common cancer for in Australia for those aged between 15 -24.

BIO: For more information about how you can care for your skin, please visit www.skinsaviour.com.au