Every year when spring arrives and the weather begins to change I look forward to all the beauty of summer; beach days, fresh garden food, warm evening walks, lazy days by the pool I could go on and on. With all this beautiful sun comes responsibility! We must decide if and how to protect our skin from the suns harmful rays. Long past are the days of rubbing baby oil on your body and going for the "how dark can I get look" well at least for most of us.
Personally, I protect my skin because of the two C's; cancer and crows feet! I am pale and my skin burns easily. I would like to avoid the long-term consequences of unprotected sun exposure! Now don't think you're safe because you always get a golden tan and never burn. In fact the UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and give you that color are equally as dangerous as UVB that burns.
So just put some sunscreen on and you're good right? Not exactly. First, some of the ingredients in sunscreen leave me opting for a burn instead! Secondly, only about 10% of sunscreens block UVA rays. If that isn't annoying enough sunscreen is hardly regulated by the FDA. Manufacturers are not required to test the products to see if they work.
So what to do? Make sure the sunblock you use has UVA and UVB protection, check the safety of the ingredients (www.cosmeticdatabase.com), wear a hat and see what happens. If you find yourself burning or tanning then try another brand.
There are two sunscreens I use and I have found them to be safe and effective; california baby and alba botantica.
Enjoy the sun!
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