This is part 1 of a 2 part series. I’ve taken some questions friends have asked recently about summer suncare for your skin and answered them below.
Question: I’ve notices fine lines around my eyes, how can I avoid accelerating this in the summer?
Answer:Use an eye cream with SPF daily- Supergoop has one with an SPF 37 and Shiseido has one with SPF 34 (and yes, this means you’ll need an eye cream for day, and for night…don’t panic…just use the SPF in the day, and use one with firming and lifting ingredients at night)Wear sunglasses with UV protection (remember, both UVA and UVB need to be blocked) and glasses with brown or green tint lenses protect better than any other color lenses
Question:Is my sunscreen from last year still good?
Answer:It doesn’t expire for three years. HOWEVER, be sure to look at the manufacture date, not the date you opened it. It could have been sitting on a shelf for two years and now you’re past year three. Better to just buy a new one for this year.
Question:I burned my scalp, how can I avoid this in the future?
Solution:Treat as you would a normal sunburn for now…but next time, remember to wear a hat, or at the very least, use a hair product with SPF in it or rub/spray your sunscreen into your part. No, it doesn’t look great, but it looks a lot better than a sunburn feels.Pureology, Aveda and several other companies make sprays for hair with UV filters in it. (initially developed for color treated hair, they are good for any hair type exposed to sunlight)
Question:How much sunscreen should I be applying?
Answer: If it’s a cream, roughly one ounce. That’s the size of a shot glass, people. I love drink math in skincare.
Question:Is an SPF 15 really that much less than an SPF 30 or SPF 50?
Answer:SPF 15 blocks about 94% of the suns rays. SPF 30 blocks about 97%. SPF 50 about 98%. So yes, SPF 30 is better. But anything above that, for most people is just a marketing trick. For my very fair and burn-prone skin, SPF 50 is really worth it to me. But that’s really at your discretion.
Question:How often should I reapply sunscreen?
Answer:Every two hours, or after being in the water or perspiring profusely