May is Melanoma Awareness Month, making it a great time to revisit your sun-care habits and make adjustments where necessary including making sure to use sunscreen!
In addition to getting your annual skin check with a dermatologist, wearing sunscreen every day is by far the most effective and easiest way to prevent the most common and deadliest forms of skin cancer.
This is also the best way to look younger for longer. By wearing sunblock, you prevent signs of aging that are brought on by sun exposure, such as fine lines and brown spots.
The Sunscreen You Choose and How You Apply it Matter
When it comes to ensuring you are getting proper sun protection, the sunscreen you buy and how you apply it are both critical.
Follow These Benchmarks for Proper Sunblock Application:
- Wear sunblock every day, regardless of the weather and season.
- Apply to all sun-exposed skin, not just your face.
- Re-apply sunblock every 2 hours if you are going to have prolonged sun exposure. We recommend touching up with a brush-on powder sunscreen throughout the day — it’s portable, mess-free, and keeps your makeup in place!
You’re doing your future self a big favor by integrating these habits into your daily life!
In addition to the practices above, refer to our checklist below for five things to look for in a sunscreen to make sure you’re protecting your skin as well as you can.
1. Sunscreen Should Be SPF 30 or Higher
We recommend that you choose a sunblock with a Sun Protection Factor of 30 or higher.
This is part of the reason why most makeup products containing sunblock do not deliver sufficient sun protection on their own — they usually contain lower SPF levels.
The formulation of a proper sunblock product is also critically different to other cosmetics that claim to offer sun protection.
We recommend using makeup containing SPF as an additional layer of protection, not as your primary sunblock.
2. Sunblock Should Be Broad Spectrum
In addition to listing an SPF of 30 or higher, you want to ensure your sunblock is labeled as broad spectrum.
This means that the formulation protects you from both UVA and UVB rays.
It’s critical that your sunscreen blocks both of these forms of ultraviolet rays, in order to effectively combat both the signs of aging and the risk of skin cancer.
3. Sunscreen Should Be Non-Comedogenic
We all want a sunblock that works with our skincare goals, not against them.
This is why you want to make sure your sunscreen is non-comedogenic, meaning it doesn’t clog your pores.
Check for this term on the label or ask your dermatologist or aesthetician to make sure your sunscreen doesn’t contain pore-clogging ingredients that may lead to conditions such as breakouts and enlarged pores.
4. Sunscreen Should Absorb Into Your Skin
Because you want to wear it every single day, you’ll want to find a sunblock that absorbs into your skin and doesn’t leave a chalky residue that might tempt you to skip the SPF.
“It would ruin my makeup” is no excuse to overlook this step in your beauty routine, especially with the sunscreen products available today.
Brands like Revision Skincare, EltaMD, Obagi and SkinMedica all offer lightweight formulas that instantly absorb into your skin and layer perfectly under any type of makeup.
For retouching throughout the day, we recommend Colorescience’s Sunforgettable brush-on powder sunscreen. This award-winning, broad-spectrum sunscreen is available in SPF 30 and 50 and comes in sleek, purse-friendly packaging that you’ll remember to take with you everywhere you go!
We are offering 25% off all sunscreen products from these brands for #MelanomaAwarenessMonth, so be sure to stop by the office or call 337-235-6886 before May 31st to purchase.
5. Sunscreen Should Contain Quality Ingredients
We also love the brands listed above because they pass our high standards for quality ingredients to look for in a sunblock product.
These products were made for dermatologists and our patients, formulated with pharmaceutical-grade ingredients that have been proven to be good for your skin.
When you use dermatologist-recommended skincare products, you can have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re doing your best to protect your skin!
Get 25% Off Our Favorite Sunscreen Products in May
In honor of Melanoma Awareness Month, we’re offering 25% off all sunscreen products!
Choose from any of our favorite medical-grade skincare lines, including Revision Skincare, EltaMD, Obagi, SkinMedica, and Colorescience.
Offer valid this month only: call 337-235-6886 or stop by the office to stock up on sunblock in time for the summer!
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Roger Middleton says
September 12, 2017 at 8:47 pmIt seems that any time my daughter is out she always comes back with a sunburn worse than her last and I’m worried about what this might be doing to her skin. I liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to look for quality ingredients in your sunscreen when buying them. I’ll have to start looking around for the right sunscreen to help her avoid possible burns, I might have to search for a mineral based kind.