Sunshine and Sunscreen

With summer here, it is important to remember to protect our skin from the sun’s harmful rays. As I have grown older, I have become more diligent about making sure I have sunblock on and especially sunscreen on my face. Unfortunately, when I was younger, especially in college, I never dreamed of putting sunscreen on. In fact, I would wear tanning oil and wanted to be as dark as possible. I knew better back then, but now that I want to minimalize wrinkles, I am very proactive about applying and reapplying as needed throughout any outdoor activities.

There are literally thousands of different sunscreens on the market today. Finding the best sunscreen for you can sometimes be overwhelming. One thing you need to make sure of when selecting any sunscreen however is that it contains a multi-spectrum protection for both UVB and UVA. The next thing you need to consider is the type of activity you are doing outside. If you will be sweating or in the water you need to look for a sunscreen that is water and sweat resistant. You should also take into consideration any allergies or skin irritations when choosing the right sunscreen. Lastly, for protecting our sweet little ones from harmful rays I always choose a lotion style instead of the spray. I don’t want them inhaling any of the spray and I honestly feel like I can get a better coverage with lotion. If I don’t have any lotion on hand, I will spray it in my hand and then apply it on them. I use a stick for our faces.

You should apply the sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before being in the sun. Make sure to get the easy to miss places like the tips of your ears, back of your legs and tops of your feet. No matter how long the sunscreen is supposed to last, try to reapply every 2 hours. If you are in the water a lot, reapply more often. Remember, even on a gray and overcast day, up to 80% of the sun’s harmful rays make it through the clouds so make sure to apply sunscreen on those days as well.

Until the Mission is Complete,

Farabe’