Summertime and sun protection

 August 11th, 2013 
Summer is here, the sun is here, vacations are here so it is beach time, river time, barbecues, swimming-pools and picnics time too…We spend so much good time outdoors but as a consequence we are more exposed to the sun and its harmful effects. We can ignore that fact now and face the consequences in several years or we can deal with it now so we will not have to face anything in the future.

The sun produces 2 types of ultraviolet rays.
1/UVA rays that can cause skin cancer and premature aging (lines, wrinkles, age spots)
2/UVB rays that are the first cause of skin reddening and sunburn (that can also cause skin cancer)
The higher the number after the acronym SPF is (SPF15,30,50) the stronger the protection and the longer you can stay in the sun before getting burn. But do not get fool, they are a good tool but they are not infallible. The best protection and the cheapest will always be to do what doctors recommend which means to stay out of the sun from 10 am to 4 pm on summer days and if you cannot avoid it then use the appropriate sun cream for your skin and do not forget your sun glasses, and a hat. Do not forget that to be efficient a sunscreen is the first thing you should apply (a good amount) on your skin after you have washed it. You also need to reapply it often during the day especially if you sweat or if you go swimming.

For those who think that every dark/black skin is insensitive to the sun; let me tell you a story. A few years ago I went to the beach with 2 other friends. I did not have a car at the time so I had to follow the driver who wanted us to be at the beach at 10 am, whereas I would usually go to the beach around 5 pm.  The three of us stayed at the beach from 10 am to 7 pm. One of my friends has Portuguese origins; the other one has South Korean origins with dark skin meaning that none of us burn easily. When I came back home everything was fine and of course I was a few shades darker; but the next day… When I woke up I realized that the skin on my legs was peeling like crazy that was horrible. I called my friends and the same thing happened to them but they also had sunburn. It was summertime but for 3 weeks we had to wear pants as it would just look too horrible to show our legs. Since that day I have learnt my lesson; I just stick on going to the beach starting 5 pm and I always wear sunscreen if for any reason I had to stay outdoor a long period of time.

I wear a SPF 50 on my face and SPF 30/50 on my body when I know I will have to stay out in the sun for a long period of time. If I am out in the morning/late afternoon or just for a short period of time I do not wear sunscreen on my body but I stick to my SPF 50 sunscreen on my face. I use a sunscreen that also works as moisturizer all year round and on summertime I always use a SPF 50. I have been working on evening out my skin tone and fading dark spots on my face and I have learnt that if you do not protect your skin from the sun you will only get minimum results. Let me tell you IT WORKS for me.
 This summer I have used the products above. Alpha H(3) is my everyday face moisturizer/sunscreen and so far it is my all time favorite. It has a light texture, does not leave any white residue and does not make dark skin look purple unlike many sunscreens. I got the Caudalie(1) one for free when I bought their “Vinoperfect radiance serum”. When I tried it at first I thought that I would look purple but when you massage it well to your skin the color completely disappear. They should actually add transparent on the packaging. It is good but not as light as the Alpha H(3) so I use this one on my face when I am at the beach as you need to apply it more often and this one is also cheaper. The Laroche-Posay(2) sun screen called “nutritive oil” has the texture of an oil but looking at the ingredients it is not; it’s just a mix of chemicals as many sunscreen. It is transparent easy to apply and it’s the cheapest out of the three. I only apply this one on my body when I am exposed to the sun for a long period of time.They all contain UVA and UVB protection.

As you can see I choose to deal with the harmful effects of the sun now to avoid problems in the future.

What about you?

XOxo Dianna.H

Photo:
(1)Caudalie Soleil Divin-Face Suncare SPF 50-40ml
Worldwide free delivery at feelunique.com : http://www.feelunique.com/brands/caudalie/soleil-divin-sun-care
(2)LA ROCHE-POSAY Anthelios invisible nutritive oil SPF50+-200ml
Worldwide delivery at Escentual.com : http://www.escentual.com/la-roche-posay/larocheposay117/
(3)Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50- 50ml
You can also easily find the first two in French Pharmacies
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