By J. Elaine Spear
The sun draws us outdoors like moths to a flame. It lifts our spirits and entices us to live life to the fullest by playing sports, exercising more, and even having spa treatments outside. However, with the depletion of the ozone and a better understanding of the role the sun plays in aging and skin cancer, the “bronze age” of unprotected sun exposure is definitely over. The sun’s UV rays cause photoaging of the skin and, for 1.3 million Americans each year, skin cancer. Yet, even with these dire findings, experts advise that you do not have to give up a single moment in the sun. Practicing safe sun strategies can stop the sun’s harmful UV rays from wreaking havoc on your skin and allow you to be outdoors to your heart’s content without risking wrinkled skin or such serious diseases as basal cell carcinomas.
However, painting the sun as a complete villain can be detrimental to our health as well. We need a certain amount of sun exposure. Sunlight regulates our biological clock and prompts our body to produce vitamin D. But the amount of exposure we really need can be measured in minutes, not hours each day. In fact, medical research suggests that fifteen minutes of sun exposure three times a week is all that is required to reap the healthful benefits of the sun. This means that leaving your skin unprotected while sipping a cup of tea indoors by a window or walking outside to pick up the mail each day, is all the sun exposure you need. The rest of the time, even when you are inside, you should be practicing safe sun strategies.
Slip Slop Slap
The American Cancer Society reports that practicing the “slip, slop, slap” method of sun protection can reduce the incidence of skin cancer by up to eighty percent. This means “slipping” into clothes made of tightly woven fabrics, “slopping” on a sunscreen with an SPF 15 (sun protection factor) or higher, and “slapping” on a hat that shades your face, neck, and ears any time your skin is exposed to UV rays. These recommendations are a good beginning, but there are other important things you can do to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Sun safe check list:
• Sit in the shade. If you are going to be in a place where there is little or no shade, bring your own portable shade.
• Limit your direct sun exposure to before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. in the summer, and before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m. in the winter months.
• Wear a broad-brimmed hat that fits your personal style. Keep in mind that while baseball caps look cool, they do little to shield your face from UV exposure.
• Wear sun-protective clothing that has a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) rating or at least wear loose-fitting clothes made of tightly woven fabrics.
• Wear sunglasses with a UV rating of 95% or higher. This helps protect your eyelids from skin cancer and your eyes from developing sun-induced cataracts.
• Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen – one that protects against UVA and UVB rays, has at least a 15 SPF, and is waterproof. Apply it frequently – at least every two to three hours – according to the manufacturers directions. (Hint: Most people don’t use enough of this stuff.)
• Wear sun protective makeup.
• Make sure antioxidants are part of your daily supplements and skincare products.
Mining for Makeup
Wearing special sun protective makeup during outdoor activities does more than make you look your best, it can help protect your eyelids, lips, and complexion from harmful UV rays and skin cancer. Mineral makeup leads this sun-safe category because it is made with zinc oxide, a natural barrier against UVA and UVB rays. It also gives your complexion a luminous glow. Among the mineral makeup lines that dermatologists recommend are Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics (www.janeiredale.com), La Bella Donna Cosmetics (www.labelladonna.com), and ColoreScience (www.colorescience.com).
Besides possessing serious sun protective qualities, these brands go from playful to glam. Jane Iredale Cosmetics, for instance, specializes in classic makeup, while Bella Donna plays to a younger crowd with its new “It” list that includes Lash Out, Pucker Up, and Get Rosy. ColoreScience has an array of classic colors as well as over-the-top cosmetics such as “Gilty Conscience” lip polishes that come in bronze, silver, and gold finishes. Besides protecting your face, the powder mineral foundations offered by all these lines can be used to protect the chest or décolleté area, arms, and the backs of your hands – three areas that receive a lot of UV damage while driving.
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