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Sunscreen: How important is it?

There's been an increase in the importance of sunscreen so I thought we'd touch on this.

Sunscreen is the most important step in your routine. It will preserve your current skin, reduce UV related damage and ensure any treatments that are being used are not mitigated/reversed by UV or environmental factors.  As a rule if you're getting UV exposure, even if you're in cooler climates/cloudy weather, sunscreen/sun protection is always a good idea. If unsure check/download a UV Index site/app. Anything over a UVI rating of 3+ (or if there is strong visible sunlight) you need to be wearing sunscreen/sun protection.

Hyper-pigmentation can take years to accumulate. This happens under the surface layers of the skin with prolonged UV exposure, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, etc. This is not visible to the naked eye so when it appears most assume it's just popped up however, this isn't the case. As you can see from the image of a skin test under a UV lamp, this is an indication of how a skin can look clear but may have underlying pigmentation.
I've heard people say over the years that most of your UV damage occurs in the first few years of life however, to be more accurate, it would be approximately 20-30% in the first 2 decades in a person's life.

Not all underlying pigment will become visible but with more UV damage this does raise the chance. Beyond the cosmetic damage it can cause to our skin there is also the risk of skin cancers and other UV related. For those in climates where the UVI is higher this is a higher risk (for example 2 in 3 people get skin cancer in Australia, Countries with a similar UV index would have similar issues ).

I also see people looking for various options for sunscreens. Not all sunscreens in cosmetic products are created equal unfortunately. Generally it's always good to start with a cream base and re-apply with lighter formulations. Here's a video on the application of sunscreen done under a UV light so you can see how certain products actually differ when applied to the skin:
Sunscreen in UV

Some options for sunscreens are:
These sunscreens use Chemical (organic) UV Filters:
Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF50+ PA++++ Unscented
Klairs Soft Airy Uv Essence Spf 50 Pa++++
Krave Beauty The Beet Shield
Simple Protect & Glow Liquid Spf30

Mineral (inorganic) UV filters are used in these formulations:
Purito Comfy Water Sunblock SPF 50+ Pa++++
NIOD Survival 3.0
The Ordinary Mineral UV Filters SPF Antioxidants
Paula’s Choice Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF30
Paula’s Choice Defense Essential Glow Moisturiser Spf 30
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturising Lotion with Sunscreen - This is a hybrid of chemical and mineral filters

Another thing is to make sure you're getting your skin checked regularly. The earlier things are detected the less invasive the treatment required.

Hope this helps and if there's a topic you'd like covered let me know in the comments 😊

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