The sun does wonders for our overall wellbeing and it’s recommended that we have a daily dose of sunlight for at least 15 minutes a day. When the sun’s rays hit our skin, our body produces Vitamin D, which can help to lower blood pressure, improve brain function, enhance our mood and protect against inflammation, so is essential for our health.
But, some of the sun’s rays can be extremely harmful to our skin. Widely known as ultraviolet (UV), it’s these beams of sunlight that we need to protect against.
What happens to skin when exposed to the sun?
The outer layer of our skin contains cells that include a pigment called melanin, which is there to help protect our skin from the dangerous UV rays. We tan when the sunlight causes our skin to produce an increased amount of melanin and darken, but when we have too much exposure, the UV rays drill down to the deeper layers of our skin and damage or kill cells, resulting in sunburn.
Exposure to UV rays is the main cause of skin cancer, and regular and prolonged exposure can have long-term damaging effects, such as causing premature aging and reducing our skin’s elasticity. It’s therefore vital that we help melanin to do its job by using sunscreen.
How does exposure to sun affect us all year round?
The majority of people have a summer skincare regime that includes regular sunscreen top ups, however, damaging UV rays are there all year round. Whilst they are stronger in the summer, your skin can be damaged as easily in the winter as it can during the summer months, especially whilst at high altitudes or from surfaces such as snow and ice. The rays can even break through cloud and fog.
Obviously during the colder months your skin will be more covered by clothing, but your face and neck are generally exposed, and it’s these areas where the majority of skin cancers occur.
How can applying sunscreen every day help skin?
It’s therefore important to maintain sun protection habits throughout the whole year. In fact, a regular daily use of sun protection factor (SPF) 15 sunscreen can help reduce the risk of developing melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma skin cancers.
A simple way to ensure you incorporate sunscreen into your daily skincare routine is to choose a cream that includes SPF, such as our fragrance free and anti-aging day dream which includes SPF20. This will also help to protect skin against other effects of exposure to UV rays, such as sagging, age spots and wrinkles. Visit our online shop to view our full skincare range.
