As the temperatures begin to rise I am sure you’ll be spending more time outside, which means you will also be needing to protect that beautiful skin of yours. It is okay to have fun in the sun, but you also owe it to yourself to treat your skin graciously.

So what do you need to protect your skin from the outside elements? Sunscreen is not just for a day at the water-park, lake or beach. If you plan on being outside longer than 15-30 minutes, you should be applying sunscreen. Sun damage can happen anytime your skin is exposed to the outside. The sun can also do more harm than an uncomfortable sunburn. The longterm effects of sun damage can cause brown spots, skin cancer, early wrinkling and the list goes on. This means every part of your body that is exposed to the elements needs to be coated. Your body, face and even your lips. A good rule of thumb is to apply sunscreen every one to two hours. If you are planning on being in the water or sweating, your probably want to be safe and reapply every hour. When selecting your sunscreen you should be buying a sunscreen that offers protection from UVA and UVB rays, with a minimum protection of SPF 30. You are going to receive the most sun between 10:00am and 4:00pm. I personally know the sun cannot be avoided at all times, but during peak hours there are ways to limit your sun exposure. Place yourself in a shady area as much as possible, or wear a rashguard and hat when in the sun for prolonged period. This will protect you from wind exposure as well. And finally, after a long day of sand, chlorine, salt, wind, sunscreen and insect repellant it is best to use a gentle cleaner with a exfoliant to clean away the days pollutants.

All in all, sunlight is not bad for us. Not only does it offer our daily does of vitamin D, it harbors many other benefits to our health. However, we just need to be conscious of its full power.