If you’ve ever looked into skin care, no doubt you’ve heard people talk about the importance of sunscreen. However, a startling few people actually take note of this importance. Many people only use sunscreen when they’re going out all day, or only use it very irregularly. In fact, it’s extremely important that you use sunscreen regularly, even if you’re not going outside almost at all during the day. From the smallest worries to the largest, these are all important reasons to use sunscreen.
Sunburns and Peeling Skin
No one wants to deal with sunburns, not even in the short term. Sunburns can make your skin feel hot and tight, and the aftermath of a sunburn tends to involve peeling skin and irritation. Even when you don’t consider potential long-term effects of sunburns, the short-term effects can be just as frustrating. Sunburns that don’t show up very strongly on your skin can still have the effect of peeling skin, so sunscreen can help protect your skin even when you don’t notice it. That’s especially true with darker skin; everyone should load up on SPF no matter their skin tone because sun damage impacts everyone.
Makeup Application and Wear Issues
You might think of sunscreen as being thick, pasty cream that leaves an ashy white tint to your skin. However, sunscreen nowadays barely has any resemblance to this. You can find a variety of sunscreens that leave no trace behind, and you can even find plenty of makeup options that include SPF protection as a feature. In today’s cosmetics world, you may actually find that a lack of sunscreen will impact your makeup usage more than wearing it. Not using sunscreen can cause overarching skin damage that may impact the way you apply and wear your makeup.
Premature Aging
This is another incredibly common complaint that sun damage causes. When you expose your skin to UV rays, these UV rays dramatically impact the collagen in the skin, causing it to stretch and droop more drastically. In turn, that makes your skin look older even from a young age. You may develop wrinkles, age spots, and an overall more aged look. The best way to avoid it is simply to wear SPF protection at all times. You may even have better results than if you were to start using anti-aging products right now.
Uneven Tone
When you tan or expose your skin to UV light, it doesn’t receive the same amount of UV exposure all the way around. Instead, different portions of your skin receive different amounts of light, changing it differently. That means you may end up with certain parts of your skin that are darker or lighter than others, which can be very frustrating when applying makeup. This also impacts your skin texture, which can add its own makeup application issues.
Skin Cancer
Of course, this is the most well-known problem associated with UV exposure. It’s also an incredibly important one. Over 95% of skin cancers happen because someone exposed themselves to too much UV radiation, whether from the sun or from a source like a tanning bed. Although you probably know that tanning salons significantly increase your risk of skin cancer, you may not have thought of the fact that you could avoid skin cancer simply by wearing sunscreen every day. If the beauty benefits aren’t enough for you, it’s a good idea simply to think of the fact that you could actually be saving your life by wearing sunscreen.
Conclusion
Sunscreen is an amazing invention that genuinely saves people’s lives. On top of that, it can make you look more beautiful every time you wear it. Whether you’re an outdoor expert who’s always in the sun or you barely go outside except to take out the trash, SPF coverage will really help maximize your skin health.
If the concept of skin health fills you with curiosity, why not consider including it as part of your career in the future? The esthetics program from Ogle School will give you more information about skin health from a dermatological standpoint. Not only will you be helping your own skin, but you’ll get the knowledge you need to help other people’s skin as well.
