Protecting Your Sun-kissed Skin ☀️
Protecting Your Sun-kissed Skin
In honor of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, here are some important tips for keeping your skin happy AND healthy.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A long-term study found that FIVE serious sunburns in someone’s life increases the risk of skin cancer overall, and the risk of melanoma by 80%. Yikes! This is why it is uber-important to protect yourself from UV damage on the regular. Here are some pro-tips when it comes to sun protection:
- Applying sunscreen or sunblock to your mid-back can be challenging. It’s so darn hard to reach! Don’t be shy about asking for help.
- Reapply every two hours and after swimming or sweating.
- Hear us on this: Ears can be an afterthought, but they need protection, too.
- A common location for skin cancers is the scalp. One word: Hats.
Can you still get sunburned on a cloudy day? Yup. It is less likely but is still possible. It’s best to take precautions no matter what the weather.
Sun protection 101.
Sunblock sits on top of your skin to form a protective barrier. Sunscreens penetrate your skin to provide chemical protection. Whichever you choose, you can make sure your sun protection is free of undesirable ingredients by looking it up in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. In addition, if you hit the beach, be aware that the ingredient oxybenzone has been found to potentially harm coral reefs and wildlife.
Sunscreen and sunblock only help if you use them, so It is important to make them as routine as possible. Choose products you really enjoy using… ones that appeal to you in terms of smell and consistency. (No one has an easy time making something UNenjoyable a habit.)
Protect yourself from the inside out.
Antioxidants are nature’s way of protecting you on the inside, even your skin. Choose foods and drinks rich in these potent phytonutrients. Our favorite proven sources? Green and white teas, of course!
Research shows oral intake of the probiotic Lactobacillus johnsonii (La1) along with nutritional carotenoids reduced early UV-induced skin damage caused by sun exposure in a large panel of subjects. Who would have thought? Participants also showed increased dermal density. Yes, please! Look for a probiotic supplement that contains this super-strain.
