I’m a beauty blogger. I’m supposed to wear at least SPF 20 underneath my makeup every day. I’m supposed to wear sunscreen no matter the season, to prevent premature aging of the skin and melanoma. To be honest, I could never be bothered with daily SPF, but this year I’m taking it a bit further. Yesterday I applied sunscreen for the first time this year, on my shoulders, nose, feet and calves.
For years I’ve been told by magazines and YouTubers and pretty much every beauty authority that wearing sunscreen daily is an absolute must. And I agree it’s super important to protect your skin from excess sun exposure, but that’s the key right there: EXCESS sun exposure. I live in a Northern European country where 60% of adults and one in three children suffer from vitamin D deficiency, and the sun barely ever shines; it’s not hard to avoid excess sun exposure over here, but avoiding sunshine altogether isn’t good either and has its own whole set of health risks. Research in Sweden has showed that the benefits of sun exposure might just outweigh the risk of developing melanoma in countries with a low UV index. In fact, vitamin D deficiency and insufficient sun exposure apparently make melanomas more malignant. This “pop” but cited article is also interesting and lists a number of health benefits to be gained from adequate sun exposure (always take things like this with a grain of salt, please). I personally used to wear sunscreen religiously in the summer for years, and I’d always feel blue in winter. Mind you, I haven’t gotten my blood tested, but I do know I’ve had the smoothest winter in ages since I started supplementing vitamin D and going outside daily in the cold, dark months.
This year I’ve decided to protect myself from the sun in more traditional ways: staying indoors between 11.00 and 15.00, staying in the shade, wearing protective clothing like hats or t-shirts, not tanning or laying with half of my skin directed towards the sun… And only applying sunscreen if I’m going to be out in the sun for a prolonged period of time during that critical time of day when the sun shines the brightest. The one telltale sign of getting excess sun exposure and too many UV rays is getting a sunburn. Sunburns are most definitely bad for you and should be avoided. I haven’t gotten any sunburns yet this year, and barely ever got any the years before. I have been getting a nice, gradual mild tan now though, which will help protect my skin from sunburn even more.
Of course additionally, sunscreen is only really effective when you re-apply it regularly (every two hours) and apply enough of it (which is way more than you might think), which most people don’t. It’s much more dangerous to think you are protected when you aren’t, than to know you need to be careful because you don’t have sunscreen on. So far I’m really happy with this sunscreen-low method I’ve been using. I have to say I don’t miss the sticky feeling of who knows what’s actually in there, on my skin on the daily. Now it is very important to remember that even though I think applying sunscreen on your face every day, throughout all seasons is excessive and unnecessary, I do absolutely recommend wearing sunscreen when you hit the beach or pool for a day, will be exposed to a lot of sun, or when you are closer to the equator where the sun is more potent.
How do you feel about sunscreen? Do you use it, and if so, when/how often? I’d love to know!
I wear sunscreen on a daily basis. Well, I might be a special case as I’m actually allergic to sunlight (when I expose myself to the sun too much – and mind you, I live close to the Netherlands, so this area isn’t exactly what you’d call “sunny” – I get malpigmentations, a rash, I feel sick and, surprise, I also get a sunburn) and I’m very fair. As far as I’m informed, it has not been proven that wearing sunscreen actually prevents your body from forming enough vitamine D as enough UVB comes through. Also, modern sunscreens do not necessarily need to be re-applied unless you go for a swim or sweat a lot of course. It is true, however, that you need to apply a looot of sunscreen to really get the most of it. This is where I slack off a little: in the morning, I apply my 2 in 1 product in the same way you apply a regular moisturizer, so the layer is pretty thin. Only when I know I’m going to spend much time in somewhat direct sunlight I apply an extra layer of sunscreen to my face and my body of course. While I don’t like the sticky feeling I still prefer that over premature ageing, a rash, and potential skin cancer.
Let me contribute my experience when it comes to sun protection; First I try to avoid going out of shade when it’s super sunny, it’s unpleasant anyway (that is difficult though, because I live in Greece). Second I really love my 50+ sunscreen and I wear it all the time cause I feel that it moisturises and protects my skin. I just wash it off immediately when I get home. If i forget to put sunscreen on, I can see my skin visibly dry and not as healthy looking as when I have worn it.
In general I believe we should do what feels right to us. That being said, I have noticed that some people of central europe, like Germans etc, underestimate the sun in their countries, especially when they only have sunny weather in the summer, so they try to ”enjoy” it and overdo it with sun exposure and lack of protection.
I must chime in here: I’m 46 years old, but according to everyone I meet, I look at least 10 years younger than that–and it’s because of daily sunscreen on my face. Sun damage is not only damaging from burns, but the daily exposure to UV rays that are cumulative–even on the mostly cloudy days here in Seattle where I live. My two cents:I say go for a daily facial sunscreen and indulge in some healthy rays everywhere else on your body. Trust me–the women of my generation who used tanning beds and worshipped the sun are looking twice their age, and deeply regret it..
Oh I definitely believe tanning causes premature ageing, but I don’t think wearing sunscreen on the daily will prevent ageing that’s not premature. Tanning makes your skin worse, but I’m pretty sure not tanning just takes you to your “base level” looks (which are all genes) and I’m not convinced wearing sunscreen daily does anything extra for that or is healthy. My mom looks 10+ years younger than she is as well (people tend to think we’re friends or sisters when we’re out), and she only wears sunscreen when out in the midday sun :) I prefer to take the middle ground!
That seems like a fair approach, but I guess time will tell. I use my sister as a control too–I use daily facial sunscreen since my teen years and she did not. Neither of us we’re sun worshippers, but I’m the one who looks much younger than my age, so perhaps there’s even more to it than genetics or even our daily habits..hopefully we will find out in our lifetimes :)
I’m with you with the icky feeling of wearing sunscreen. After a recent 2nd hand experience of what happens if you go out in the high sun unprotected and uclothed I got a good reminder of respecting the sun. But I must say following the recommendation of the sunlotion bottle made me wonna go to the shower instantly and just never go out again! I hated it! But then, I even hate the feeling of moisturizer and moist skin. Also have a tendency of not just a little but a dangorous Vitamin D deficiency, so I follow a methond somewhat close to this. Not convinced to use sunscreen more often after that. But… that youtube video “How the sun sees you” does make a pretty good argument too :)
https://youtu.be/o9BqrSAHbTc
Judging by the plants in the background and what the people are wearing though, that video was shot in a climate incomparable to the Dutch. Location is so important as it massively changes the strength of the UV rays!