5 tips for staying protecting your skin while enjoying the Australian summer.
As Aussies, we love the fantastic weather, and the great Australian lifestyle, which can often mean spending large amounts of time outdoors, particularly after spending a large proportion of our year at home. Our lifestyle and enviable climate should definitely be enjoyed. However, this can wreak havoc on our skin, resulting in premature ageing, and when left unchecked, even skin cancers, but there are ways to protect ourselves, and stay looking youthful, so we can enjoy our lifestyle for years to come. Staying beautiful while enjoying the Australian Summer is key to this. So how can we enjoy a beautiful summer, and keep our skin safe?
- Apply sunscreen before going outside. For sunscreen to function optimally, it needs to have time to be absorbed into the skin, ideally about 20 minutes. This will help provide maximum protection, and ensure it isn’t washed off in the first 5 minutes by the pool.
- Wear sunscreen even if you are going to be wearing long sleeves. Most standard clothing fabrics don’t offer a huge amount of sun protection, and you can even be exposed to UV rays through your clothes, unless you are wearing some of the newer UV protective clothing.
- Wear sunscreen all the time, not just when its sunny. Just because there isn’t any direct sunlight doesn’t mean there aren’t any UV rays. Myself and a lot of friends suffer with some pigmentation on our faces, and whilst these can be caused by hormonal issues, the major common culprit for pigmentation is sun exposure. This pigmentation one major contributor to premature ageing, so make sure you wear sun protection everyday.
- Higher SPF (sun protection factor) numbers do not necessarily mean a longer period of coverage. SPF is a measure of how much UV radiation is required to burn your skin while you are wearing a sunscreen. A stronger SPF sunscreen will mean that more radiation is required to burn your skin. Its always advisable to wear a stronger SPF, so slather on the SPF 50+ broad spectrum sunscreen. If you’re confused about some of the sunscreen ratings, the Cancer Council explains this quite well.
- Look for a broad spectrum sunscreen. There are two types of UV radiation, A and B, and both can cause premature ageing, sunburn, and skin cancer, although UVB is the primary source of sunburn and skin cancer, and broad spectrum creams protect against both.
- Always reapply your sunscreen, particularly when you are outside for long periods of time. Always pay attention to those little comments on the sunscreen about 2 hour water resistant. This will indicate how long the sunscreen is likely to be effective for.
- With the Australian summer often meaning outdoor entertaining, you may also need to watch what you get on your skin in terms of food and drinks. Citrus fruits are a key contributor to this, as some of the components in citrus fruit can increase sensitivity to the sun, leading to increased premature ageing. Also watch out for some prescription medications, which can also cause problems. Always follow your doctors recommendations with any medication though.
- Lastly, don’t forget your lips. Dry cracked lips can also be give away signs, as most of us forget to apply sunscreen to our lips.
So get out there and enjoy a beautiful summer. Needing some tips? Contact us for your personalised sun protection routine.
