Sun Protection over 40

Sun damage gets worse with age…

While you might have spent most of your youth basking in the sun, your skin is probably paying for it now. Instead of giving up and letting sun spots take over, there is plenty that you can do to protect yourself. 

Here’s what you need to know…

The skin contains a certain amount of melanin that protects it naturally from the sun. Some people have more than others, and this is indicated (usually) by how dark the skin is. While this melanin can protect the skin for a time, as you continue to stay in the sun, you will be subjected to UVA and UVB rays that damage the skin – what we call sunburn or a tan. 

Any sign of redness to the skin - however slight - is actually a first degree burn.  Brown skin is the result of the excess melanin produced by your body to protect itself at the site of the burn.  A tan actually isn’t a healthy glow – it’s the sign that you’ve damaged your skin.

How can you protect yourself ?

Be alert to the dangers of the sun - specifically UVA and UVB light at all times. Don't assume that because you live in a cooler climate - say in Norther Europe or some states in America, there is little risk from sun damage. Be very aware of the dangers of sun damage on a cloudy, rainy or overcast day or in the middle of winter. 

Protect your face and the delicate area around your eyes

You need to be especially careful of preventing damage to your face and the area around your eyes.  The skin on your face is much thinner and more prone to damage from the sun. Unlike the skin on your body which is protected to some degree by the clothes you wear, your face is exposed most of the time to damage from the elements.

You can protect your eyes and the delicate under-eye area by wearing a good pair of sunglasses. Go for the largest frames you can - fashion permitting - and the darkest tint and make sure they are guaranteed to protect from UVB and UVA damage. Sunglasses are a great anti-wrinkle accessory - without them you will screw up your eyes and cause additional lines and wrinkles.

What you really need of course - as well as your sunglasses is the best sunscreen you can afford and you need to wear it all the time - sunny or not.

Wearing SPF Creams

A good sunscreen is one that has a high level of SPF or Sun Protection Factor.

What the SPF measures is how protected your skin will stay with the lotion on. For example, skins that would burn in five minutes without any sunscreen will burn in twenty minutes with an SPF 4 sunscreen. 

You simply multiply the normal amount of time it would take your skin to burn without any protection by the number of the SPF. If your burning time without sunscreen was 5 minutes and you were to wear a 50 SPF, you could stay outside without burning for 200 minutes.

Working how long it takes before you burn..

So, how do you measure how long you can normally stay outside for without burning? This will vary depending on your skin type and the level of UVA/UVB light present in the atmosphere. If you are were outside in sunny conditions on a hot summer's day and you had fair or sensitive skin, then your burning time would be minimal - probably less than 5 minutes before your skin suffered damage.  

Skins with a higher level of melanin may have longer in such conditions - but not that much longer, probably only around 20 minutes for skins with high levels of melanin (dark or olive complexions).  You are wise to always overestimate the power of the sun on any given day, and to underestimate your skin's ability to protect itself.

Wear more than you think you need and reapply it frequently..

Too many of us put sunscreen on once a the start of the day and then forget about it. You have to take into consideration things that might remove the sunscreen you so carefully applied  – swimming, rubbing, wearing clothes. You need to re-apply sunscreen - use your common sense to tell you when it may have been rubbed off and is no longer effective. If you’re swimming or sweating a lot, this should certainly be every hour or so.

Most of us don't put enough sunscreen on in the first place. When you apply sunscreen, make sure you coat your skin with about one and a half ounces of sunblock for your entire body. That’s about a shot glass of lotion.

If in doubt apply more. You should apply the sunscreen about fifteen minutes before you go out in order to let the lotion soak in to achieve maximum protection.

Is damage reversible?

The short answer is no.  While the tan lines may fade, the damage you have done will not. This is why it’s so important to prevent further damage from happening.  Using sunscreen at all times (even when it’s not sunny) is your best weapon against additional sun damage.

Even when it’s cloudy, UVA and UVB rays can get to your skin, so cover up. It’s been shown that the most skin damage to the face occurs during ‘incidental’ sun exposure – walking around during your lunch hour, popping outside for a few moments to do something, cleaning the car, or doing household chores. 

If you are keen to prevent skin aging - a moisturizer or foundation with a high SPF has to be part of your daily anti-aging skin care routine. Alternatively there are excellent sunscreens specifically for older skins with very high SPF and built in moisturizers and anti-aging ingredients intended for the delicate skin on the face.  Most of these are suitable for wearing on a daily basis under your normal make up.