Hello friends!!!!
As I type this, I am waiting on a flight to return home to The Woodlands from visiting my brother in Colorado. We had a wonderful time fishing the Yampa River. Well, wonderful may be an understatement. It was breath taking and I love spending time with my brother because we don't get to do that often. This entry has been inspired by our trip, because fly fishing for hours in the direct sunlight is not good for skin (I know, shocking, right?) so you must be well protected. I have to brag a little too, because my brother electively wears sunscreen now! I am so proud! I have worked at this for YEARS. He's not the type to do "stuff like skin care", but with the aide of his adorable girlfriend and years of my hounding him, we have success! At least I would like to think my years of hounding him play a role..........hehe
Let's talk about skin care. The best anti aging tool available is prevention, but what exactly does that mean? Simply put, it means taking care of your skin now so that it doesn't continue to age as quickly as it would if you did not protect it from the external factors that age your skin. The earlier you start, the better.
Topical, medical grade skin care is without question, the best. What you get from a physician's office is high quality, proven to work and must meet the expectations of its claims. In other words, they are not allowed to lie about what you can expect the product to do.
These products are also concentrated with the ingredients you are after, instead of being full of fillers, like the products you purchase over the counter are. Example- when you purchase a vitamin C serum from the drugstore, you are purchasing a bottle of water and fillers with a few added drops of low quality vitamin C mixed in. This is important to know because only certain molecules of a specific type of vitamin C are tiny enough to get into your skin and actually work, so you do the math on the effectiveness. "You get what you pay for" is just as true in skin care as it is in anything else.
Now back to sun protection...
The effects of sun damage on a truck driver:
The first and most important topical skin care in anyone's regimen is sunscreen. Prevention is about preventing damage, and your first line of defense is to the sun. The gentleman pictured above, is an amazing example of photodamage or sundamage (they are the same thing). He was a truck driver and the side of his face that got the most sun shows it.
So I know what you're thinking. "Sunscreen is greasy", or "Sunscreen burns my eyes". That is so not the case anymore! There are many cosmetically elegant, effective formulations available. Maybe too many to choose from, so I would like to share my favorites and I bet you will find one you don't mind wearing.
1. Anthelios 50 Mineral Tint, Ultra Light Fluid is my absolute favorite! It's super light and not greasy at all. It is also a physical block (as opposed to chemical, it reflects light away from the skin) so it doesn't sting or burn when applied. It is a good daily wear, moisturizer replacement for oily, combination or acneic skin. I don't leave home without it.
2. Skin Medica Spf 35 is my second favorite. It does not sting and it also has a touch of moisture to it, without being too heavy. It is also an excellent daily wear, under your make up for dry or normal skin that need some moisture but not too much.
3. Obagi Spf 50 is an excellent block to the sun. It is for the days you really need protection and it will not break you out. If you're going to be in direct sunlight for an extended period of time, this is a good choice for under make up or alone. Just know that it is thick when you apply it, so warm the product up before you put it on. It will not break you out as it is oil free. Promise!
4. La Roche Posay Melt in sunscreen is amazing for super dry skin! It's got amazing protection and moisturizing ability! It also has great staying power.
5. My brother's favorite :) is Cerave Spf 30. He says it is not greasy.
Do not get anything less than an spf 30. Spf 15 breaks down so fast, it's just not worth the risk and you are going to be wearing it all day. These sunscreens are not waterproof but are water resistant. The only waterproof sunscreens have to have oil in them, and are not suitable to wear every day, but these specifically will give you adequate protection for daily prevention.
I hope this helps! I could go on forever, so this is all for now. Next time I will elaborate on what I think is the best prevention in skin care but you know, you can't use them until you are in the habit of practicing safe sun, so get on it, please. :)
Prevention Preview: My 2 other must have for basic preventions are a retinoid and a good antioxidant....next blog....oh! I almost forgot, make up. Believe it or not, make up can be healthy for your skin.
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