Sunscreen. We all know about it, but a lot of us don’t like to wear it or “forget” to put it on. But in this article, I’m going to go into the details about why we should care to make wearing sunscreen a part of our daily routine. There are two types of U.V. rays that are soaked up by our skin when we get in the sunshine. U.V. B. rays are more prone to cause sunburn or irritation to the top few layers of skin, but U. V. A. rays are longer and penetrate deeper into the skin causing more permanent damage and skin aging. Sun exposure is also cumulative, so the more time spent in the sun the more your skin becomes damaged. But there is a simple solution to help stop skin aging! Wear sunscreen! Sunscreens are made of two types of particles, organic and inorganic. Organic particles in sunscreens absorb U.V. rays while inorganic reflect rays. SPF on a bottle of sunscreen stands for Sun Protection Factor and a statistic from the American Academy of Dermatology in an article by Live Science says, “Sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will prevent your skin from getting red for approximately 15 times longer than usual (so if you start to burn in 10 minutes, sunscreen with SPF 15 will prevent burning for about 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours)” Sunscreen has really got your back and your skin!
On a personal level, sunscreen has been a major saving grace in my life. When I was younger, I got into a bad bike accident where I flew over the handlebars, causing a deep gash under my left eye. The wound took a long time to heal and once it did the skin was incredibly sensitive and red, I was mortified. All I wanted was for the mark to go away and I was so worried about the possibility of a permanent scar. I went to the dermatologist and she gave me samples of sunscreens and scar creams, which kindled a passion for skincare. I started wearing sunscreen every day and actively taking measures to help my skin and slowly my trials paid off. My skin began to truly heal and now I have a faint scar that reminds me of the power of body, mind, and spirit. We only get one beautiful resilient body and they take a beating, man. We push our bodies to a breaking point, not just physically but also emotionally. Living in a time where there are so many expectations and so many comparisons causes tremendous strain on our gorgeous selves, so why not take thirty seconds every day to apply sunscreen and do your body a kindness?