By now, you would have heard or read about this piece of advice in an article online or from your best friends. It IS important to wear sunscreen daily! While you may have heard this everywhere, you may also need a little reminder of why this habit is so important. So if you haven’t really incorporated sunscreen into your daily routine, take a look at these 4 reasons why you should!
1. Keeps you looking younger longer
Who doesn’t want to delay the onset of age on your face and body? The ultraviolet (UV) rays in daylight damages fibers in your skin called elastin, making it sag and stretch, causing premature wrinkles to form. Also, those pesky little brownish or greyish age spots (or solar lentigines) that appear on the face, hands and chest show up more as one ages, but the primary cause for them is due to years of exposure to UV light. While there are numerous types of treatments to make them less obvious, do your older self a favour and help to prevent the development of premature aged skin.
2. So you don’t look like a cooked lobster & peel like a snake
Getting sunburned is never fun. It starts off making your skin red hot, itchy and painful. Then comes the darkening and peeling of the skin, which is not a pretty sight at all. When skin gets sunburned, the skin’s outermost layer has actually sustained a first-degree burn injury. We don’t touch a steaming hot pot for fear of burning ourselves, so why should we subject our skin to the same treatment?
3. Decreases risk of developing skin cancer
While lounging in the sun in stylish swimwear can feel good, spending too much time outdoors with minimal to no sun protection can put you at risk for different types of skin cancers, especially deadly melanoma, which is accountable for a large percentage of deaths related to skin cancer, and also commonly afflicts women under age 40. Applying sunscreen has been proven to decrease the development of certain types of skin cancers, so amp up your sunblock game!
4. For body beautiful skin
Some may think that a “sun-kissed tan” may help to temporarily even out complexion and camouflage blood vessels and spots, over time, sun damage can actually have the adverse effect. When skin starts to tan in the sun, the production of skin cells that protect against sunlight — called melanocytes — are increased exponentially but unevenly, resulting in darker and lighter patches of skin.
So if you need to be out in the sun, invest in sunscreen that has sufficient sun protection, wear a hat or sunglasses. Or you’re feeling lazy, then just try to stay out of the sun when the rays are strongest (10am to 4pm). With good sun protection habits, together with a solid skincare routine, you too can have that soft, supple and flawless skin that is worthy of multiple photoshoots!
Do you have any other reasons why we should apply sunscreen religiously? Share with us in the comments section below!
