Sunscreen Sunscreen Sunscreen

You need to apply sunscreen, everyday. I can hear everyone saying, "I know that..." followed by a big eye roll. But, you don't know, that's the problem. SPF otherwise known as "sun protection factor" is simply the amount of time you are protected. If you apply SPF 25, you are protected for 25 minutes. If you apply SPF 5, by the time you are done applying it, you need to re-apply. To get as basic as possible, UV rays can mutate the part of your skin that creates new skin cells. It's the part of your body that is like a baker, baking a cake (but in place of cake you get skin cells). A smart, healthy and alert baker will use the right ingredients, mix them correctly and bake it at the right temp, for the right amount of time to get a perfect cake. If that same baker gets hit over the head and can no longer function or think properly, your cake may end up way too dark in spots, the texture would be dry, hard and wrinkly, and it could be so bad you have to remove it from the counter. UV rays hit your body's "skin cell baker" over the head - hard. Next time you get a "sun spot" on your skin, you will know that one of your bakers has been hit over the head and will forever be creating cells that are the wrong color.

When you are in a car and the sun is streaming in the window, shining down on your arm, it is the same as laying out. If the UV level is high, it only takes minutes for your skin to be effected.

When I was giving facials, it was common for clients to ask me to "fix" their skin. It was obvious that they had sun damage and also obvious that they were still tanning. I would tell them that the first thing they needed to do was apply sunscreen and stop tanning. The response I usually got was "No, I can't do that, I just need a product and a few facials." That made my job even harder. Not only would their skin continue to get punished everyday but I could not do any kind of peel or exfoliant

knowing they would be going to the tanning bed after I finished. It would actually upset me, only because these people were so desperate for help, I knew I could help them but they basically wouldn't let me.

Your skin is your largest organ, your body's first defense against illness and infection, it should be taken care of. It's not hard. Wear sunscreen, drink water, keep clean, eat a few healthy snacks and apply moisturizer. When skin is not cared for, your entire body suffers. Skin cancer is scary stuff.

If you ever feel the need to go tanning or skip the sunscreen, I suggest looking up pictures of identical twins, one with sun exposure, one without. In one of my classes we were shown several slides of that very thing, trust me, you will wear sunscreen after that.

Wishing you all health, happiness and safe- fun in the sun, for years to come!