“Many of us are outside more often now that the weather is beautiful and sunny. From pools and picnics, to outdoor sports and events, and my personal favorite, the beach. Whatever you are doing outside this summer, it is vital that we are mindful about protecting our bodies and eyes from U.V. rays. And while July is National U.V. Safety Awareness Month, we should ALL be protecting our skin from U.V. rays year-round, not only during summer months. I want to make it clear that U.V. rays do not discriminate; people of all skin tones, ethnicities, ages, and genders need to use sunscreen and protect themselves from harmful U.V. radiation. U.V. radiation passes through clouds and reflects off surfaces like water, sand, snow, and cement, and is present around us 24/7 no matter what temperature it is outside.
As a Medical Aesthetician, I work with many patients of all skin tones and all ages, in correcting the visible damage of U.V. rays on their face and bodies. There are many treatments to correct and reverse the signs of aging and sun damage: An aggressive & corrective skincare routine, IPL treatments, Chemical Peels, Laser Treatments and Tixel. But the first and most important treatment is using sunscreen. And I know you’ve heard it so many times before…sunscreen blah blah blah…but it’s true, sunscreen is the ONLY skincare that will block U.V. rays from damaging your skin.
So, my philosophy is, why not stop the premature aging and damage NOW instead of trying to reverse it later?! But if you do have sun damage that has caused pigmentation and wrinkles that you are not happy with, then the silver lining is that they can be improved, corrected, and in rare cases, sometimes even reversed. Make an appointment with Alora Medical Spa to address your skincare concerns and we will customize a treatment plan specifically for you.
Aside from the cosmetic consequences of U.V. damage, exposure to U.V. rays without body and eye protection can result in more serious consequences of skin cancer, cataracts, cornea damage, and vision loss. These consequences are not reversible. U.V. radiation peaks from 10am to 4pm and the longer your exposure, the greater your risk of sun damage if you’re unprotected. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a minimum SPF of 30, but personally I wear a SPF of 50 because I have seen better protection against the formation of pigmented spots on my skin, as well as patients’ skin. SPF is 97-98% effective at blocking U.V. rays. So, in addition to wearing sunscreen, I recommend that everyone wears light weight, white or light-colored long sleeve cotton tops and bottoms or UPF protective clothing.
Pop culture and ever-changing modern styles may lead you to have preconceived notions, but wearing little or less clothing when its warm outside does not make you feel cooler and gives you little protection against U.V. rays. Your exposed skin will absorb the heat and radiation making you feel much hotter and exhausted than if you were fully clothed in light weight cotton clothing. I also recommend both men and women wear oversized sunglasses while outside and hat, whether it be wide-brimmed, visor, or baseball cap style.
Even though I advocate to patients about sun protection regularly like a song on loop, I actually HATE the feeling of sunscreen. Yuck. I don’t like the feel of something heavy or tacky on my skin. Therefore, I am personally very picky about what sunscreens I wear, and I also opt to be more fully clothed when I am outside in the sun, walking, playing tennis, or swimming. Currently I am wearing 3 of the 7 sunscreens available from ZO Skin Health, a medical grade skincare brand we offer at Alora Medical Spa. Each ZO SPF is formulated with different textures depending on skin type and also for different preferences such as: for face or body, sensitive skin, invisible, priming and smoothing skin, self-adjusting tint to match your skin tone, blur and mattifying skin, antioxidants to minimize dark spots, tone color correction, soothing ingredients, and UVA + UVB, HEV blue light and IR-A rays protection.
Now all these precautions may sound excessive to you…but if we don’t protect ourselves from the harmful effects of U.V. rays, then we may reap the consequences through accelerated skin aging, or worse, skin cancer and permanent eye complications. It’s never too late to start, even if your past goals were getting “nice and tan” before, you can start to protect yourself now, and help protect your family members and friends! Have a healthy, happy summer!”
-Ashton Wahid (Licensed Medical Aesthetician and Licensed Cosmetic Tattoo Practitioner)