By this time we all know that the sun can do some serious damage to our skin. It can burn it, make it go all wrinkly and even give us skin cancer. It’s the reason why sunscreens and sun blocks are so popular now and many skincare products now have incorporated sun protection as part of their formulation.
When you buy skincare products that you plan to use in the morning before you go out to work or school try to find out if it already has sun protection built into the formula. This way, you won’t have to buy a separate sunscreen which will just be an extra expense and also waste you more time because you’ll have to apply another product on your skin.

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Celebrities have glorified the skin tone which is product of exposure to the sun making it more a fashion statement rather than a measure of their skin’s health. There are tanning lotions which get your skin to a specific color that may be desired but unknown to many, these products have to be used in conjunction with sunscreens for they do not have active UV protection and can be compared to dyes for your clothes allowing equal skin tone to where ever the product is applied. Skin tanning without tanning lotions is becoming dangerous that not many skin care professionals recommend it.

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Skin experts recommend that sunscreen be applied about 30 minutes before exposure to the sun to allow the products time to dry and reach their optimum protection levels. Another skin care product that has become more and more popular, sunscreen wipes which are not a new product but the ease of application has made it more appealing for consumers. The wipes are easier to use which would simply be wiping your neck, face and other exposed skin while the product leaves a protective layer of sunscreen in the process. Those products in lotion form are the best for they are not only loaded with the necessary active sunscreen ingredients but they are also more moisturizing preventing skin from drying out too much which works best. Another nifty innovation from Coppertone is the Quickcover spray which minimizes the chasing especially with kids when you have to apply and reapply sunscreen. You simply tell them to stand still and spray away like painting a piece of wood.

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From Lancome comes UV Expert 20 sunscreen which contains Mexoryl as the active ingredient while Neutrogena has Heiloplex in its products. The other new skin protection compounds are Avobenzone and Oxybenzone along with the more traditional Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide (which is seen as the white stuff on the noses of lifeguards and cricket players) which have been in use for a long time to combat these harmful ultraviolet rays that have the potential to damage skin. Most of the older products have a pre-soaking time for they have to given enough time to sink into the skin’s pores for them to offer the best level of protection.

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Do you know that sunscreen comes in two varieties when it come to the protection they offer your skin? I didn’t, and as it turns out there are products that protect you from UVA or Ultraviolet Alpha rays (which was previously the most widely accepted type of the sun’s rays known more commonly as Ultraviolet light). Most people like me don’t know that there is also a need for protection from UVB or Ultraviolet Beta rays which can also cause skin damage and in severe cases even cause skin cancer. So when choosing which type to purchase at the drug store or the supermarket, skin care experts recommend getting ones that are labeled to give broad spectrum protection so all the bases are covered.

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Kojic Acid is a fungus derivative and has similar effects to hydroquinone. It works best as a lightening agent and has the ability to inhibit the production of melanin.
Beta-hydroxy Acid, Hydroquinone, Kojic Acid, Retinol
Beta-hydroxy Acid is more commonly known as salicylic acid, it has been used to treat extreme UV exposure from the sun’s harmful UV rays. It promotes exfoliation and improves overall texture and it has the good ability to penetrate oil-laden hair follicles reducing acne. This is very irritating for sensitive skin so consultations should be done with a dermatologist so it should be treated same as alpha hydroxy acids.

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1. Drink lots of water. Our body is composed of 75% water. We need to keep our cells hydrated to keep the skin supple and to prevent the cells from aging fast.
2. Use sunscreen. Protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Increasing cases of skin cancer are reported every year. Use SPF 15 for 15 20–30 years old and use SPF 35 and above for those more than 30 years old.
3. Watch what you eat. Eat a healthy balanced diet every meal. Avoid fatty food, which is rich in Omega 6—this clogs the arteries that might cause further sickness.

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The sun is one of the many factors that allowed life to evolve on our planet thanks to it’s wondrous powers of life. The sun’s rays allows the human body to synthesize vitamin D which is vital for survival, activated in the skin in some way that has been programmed in our genes through millions of years of evolution. The sun is the giver and also the taker of life for it has the ability to give life, as with trees and plants, but also has the ability to kill such as the case of over-exposure to it’s harmful rays. Years of pollution has resulted in a gaping hole in the earth’s poles that is growing year by year increasing the amount of UV rays from the sun that gets through to us causing many a debilitating diseases. Skin cancer results from over-exposure to the sun’s UV rays that turns skin cells into cancerous ones due to damage in their genetic materials. The bad thing is that a severe sunburn today, can haunt you in fifteen years or so, the damaged DNA lying dormant in wait for the prime time to propagate and spread to other skin cells. Please tell me more! »

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Many of the facial maladies we suffer from are more often than not surely related to improper or inadequate cleaning of the face. There are many processes that are recommended as well as a ton of varying products that are aimed to do so. Most work but some don’t and cause more harm than good. Be sure to check around for the ones that sell best and contain only natural extracts meaning no synthesized chemicals. Most synthesized chemicals though similar in structure and efficacy to natural ones have side effects so check for active contents and ingredients. Exfoliation is good but use it sparingly, twice a week is best for too much can irritate skin leaving you with ugly scars. I one needs to have them removed, take them to the professionals so proper force is applied reducing scarring.

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image source: www.isomers.ca

It’s that time of year again, when the sun peaks through and your skin soaks it all up like a sponge. Sure you’ll get a nice tan, but the sun’s harmful rays will affect your skin, and when it does, that tan won’t even be worth it. Here’s how to protect your sensitive skin from that powerful sun.
Most people think that an SPF 30 or more will completely shield them from the sun’s damaging rays. Wrong. SPF only refers to UVB rays, which is the shorter end of the sun’s spectrum of light that causes sunburns. The longer rays, which are called UVA, are only filtered out by some sunscreens, not all. Since UVA rays are not harmful instantly, they do damage in the long run, and companies are now working to bring out sunscreens that contain protection against UVA rays as well.

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