Keeping your Skin Safe and Beautiful this Summer

We love sunshine in the UK but it often comes with dire warnings about cancer and the damage it can do to our skin. Fortunately, although these threats are real and serious, they don’t mean we should hide away from the sun completely. Taking a few sensible precautions will allow you to enjoy the sun and gain all the health benefits it offers. It’s not just about applying sunscreen and avoiding the hottest part of the day. How you apply the sun protection and the type of sunscreen you use can help to keep your skin not only safe, but beautiful.

Application

The most common mistake people make with sunscreen is not applying it often enough. Many of us apply sunscreen before leaving the house but rarely reapply more than once or twice at the most. This simply isn’t enough for adequate sun protection. Not only should sunscreen be applied every two hours and before and after swimming, people should also apply it in a much thicker layer than they generally do. Regardless of how high the SPF is, experts recommend that people apply sunscreen in a ‘thick, buttery layer’ for the full effect.

SPF

Another misconception is that you need a very high SPF sunscreen to prevent sunburn and you only need to apply it once a day. Sunscreens of any SPF need to be applied often and if you follow the application instructions above, an SPF of 15 to 25 can filter out 94% of the sun’s rays. These are actually a better option as higher SPF sunscreens often contain chemicals which can become dangerous free radicals when left on the skin. A lower SPF sun cream applied properly is all you need to stay safe.

Environ RAD sunscreen has an SPF of 15 with sun filters, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (UV-A) and Octyl Methoxycinnamate (UV-B,) and sun reflectants, Titanium Oxide, to protect the skin from UVA and UVB irradiation. It also has a free radical scavenging system, including vitamins beta-carotene, C and E, to keep the skin safe from sun damage and pollutants. Environ RAD is suitable for all ages including babies.

Anti-Oxidants

Not many people realise how beneficial anti-oxidants can be in a sunscreen. They work to remove damaging free radicals in the skin and help protect the skin from premature ageing and studies have shown them to be a powerful force to combat skin cancer. Vitamins, particularly vitamin A, C, E, B3, B5, B12 and D are hugely important to protect skin with vitamin A being the most important as it can help make skin less sensitive to the sun. It helps to suppress some of the damaging chemical cascades triggered by sun expose and can prevent, as well as reverse, the detrimental effects. For a boost of vitamin A and other beneficial vitamins, take the Advanced Nutrition Programme’s Skin Antioxidant supplement combined with Environ RAD as the perfect combination to protect sun exposed skin. This supplement is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, encourages skin renewal and contains key vitamins, herbs and plant extracts to nurture skin.

Sun Benefits

In our preoccupation with protecting our skin from the sun, we sometimes forget that sunshine is good for us. Not only does daylight have significant positive effects on mental health and overall wellbeing, it also provides the body with vitamin D which is vital in many bodily functions including keeping the skin healthy.

Applying the right sunscreen properly allows everyone to feel good in the sunshine this summer without worrying about damaging their skin or causing it to age prematurely. At Sarah Hurst Skin and Beauty, we stock Environ RAD sunscreen which contains all the best vitamins and anti-oxidants to protect your skin without any harmful chemicals. Combined with Skin antioxidants, you really are protecting the skin in the best way possible.

Call our Brighton Salon on 01273 270709 for advice on how to keep your skin beautiful this summer.