SPF application shouldn’t end with summer. Our skin is exposed to UV rays and potential sun damage year-round, and while prevention is certainly the most preferred method of care, saving us time and sunburns, sometimes we fall asleep in that hammock or use up all our SPF on the go. Here’s our sun care/damage guide for the ifs, ands, or butts that creep up when we’re just trying to R&R.
Preventing Sun Damaged Skin
Prevention is the easiest form of sun care, it’s also the easiest to forget about when we’re running out the door late for work in the morning. There are several preventative measures that take the edge off of sun damage, though none as effective as sunscreen, which is our number 1 go to.
Sunscreen and Sun Protection
The goal of a sunscreen is to help prevent UVA and UVB rays from penetrating our skin. Exposure to these rays can lead to sunburns, photoaging (premature wrinkling, sagging and spots) and in severe cases, skin cancer. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and yes, the number matters: SPF 15 protects against 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 protects against 97% and SPF 50 protects against 98%. From there, it’s hard for products to guarantee a higher protection. Don’t forget, the efficacy of a sunscreen depends partly on how well/often we apply and reapply. Experts and dermatologists recommend reapplying every 2 hours when we’re being exposed to sunlight including indoor office buildings where UV rays can filter through windows.
Non-Sunscreen Sun Protection Options
At the beach or spending hours outdoors and forgot to pack an SPF? The shade of an umbrella, tree or wide-brimmed hat is your next best friend. And wearing light layers to protect skin is crucial regardless whether strolling along the beach or across a parking lot, it only takes a few minutes of unprotected sun exposure to spike an excess in melanin production (ie. sun spots are just around the corner).
BeautyBio Recommends:
The Protector Daily Defense Cream + Broad Spectrum SPF 30 - Provides long-lasting hydration and protection from UV rays with broad-spectrum SPF 30 in a sheer lightweight finish, no sticky SPF dry down.
The Perfector 4-in-1 Skin-Perfecting Silk moisturizer + Broad Spectrum SPF 30 – A mattifying primer designed to auto adjust to individual skin tone, giving you that effortless makeup-free finish with broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection.
Post-Sun Exposure Care
Spent a day in the sun, tried reapplying SPF but ran out midday and woke up the next day with patchy, itchy sunburn spots.
Hydrate
Inside and out. Sun-damage is evidence of severely dry, dehydrated skin. Start guzzling that H20 and comfort skin with super nourishing, gentle topical formulas. Think post-op recovery care type of creams designed to fortify skin’s protective barrier and enhance skin’s ability to retain moisture.
Draw the Heat Out
Help skin’s natural reparative process along by drawing the heat out from a sunburn through a cold bath or shower or soaking a rag in cool milk or yogurt and applying to burned areas (ProTip: Drinking milk after consuming a hot pepper or salsa also draws the heat out of your mouth, much better than water). Chill and blend cucumbers to make a paste-like consistency and apply to soothe irritation.
BeautyBio Recommends
The Quench Quadralipid Rapid Recovery Facial Moisturizer - An intensely nourishing facial moisturizer that restores skin’s protective barrier, bounce, hydration and radiance - an ideal cream for dry, recovering skin.
The Sculptor with LipoCare™ Cellulite-Smoothing Body Cream - Organic Green Tea Seed Oil firms, smooths and comforts dry, damaged skin and a reverse-emulsion body butter hugs skin for 24-hour hydration.
Repairing Sun Damage
Skin is constantly turning over and sun damage can often take years to surface in the form of wrinkling, dryness, spots and uneven texture. This is when we call in skin backup to rewind and repair existing damage.
BeautyBio Recommends
The Daily Vitamin C Day Serum with Antioxidant Complex and The Ultimate Hydrating Vitamin C Facial Moisturizer – A daily serum and moisturizer both formulated with light-stable, oxygen-stable forms of Vitamin C that brighten areas of uneven tone and texture including sun spots and areas of photoaging.
R45 The Reversal 3-Phase Retinol Booster System - R45’s patented delivery system allows skin to reap the corrective benefits of retinol with zero side effects, and it’s clinically proven to repair all four benchmarks of aging – skin spots, wrinkles, enlarged pores and skin tone unevenness- in one 45-day treatment.
Upper Hand Patches Collagen-Infused Brightening Hand Crepe Correctors – Travel-friendly hand patches designed to brighten skin tone, even out areas of hyperpigmentation, smooth out crepiness and firm skin in just 20 minutes.
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