Summer’s coming and that means sunny days out. Don’t forget the sunscreen! While it’s easy to remember sun protection when you head to the beach, sunscreen should be a daily habit, not just on those sunny summer days. Here are six reasons why you need to wear sunscreen today and every day.

#1: You Don’t Have to Burn to Damage Skin

Sun damage doesn’t start with sunburn. Any exposure to the sun can damage skin, including your daily walk from the car to the office. Yes, a sunburn is very damaging, but so are those little daily exposures you forget about.

#2: Reduce Your Lifetime Sun Exposure

Think of sun exposure as a bank account (only one with no withdrawals). Every minute in the sun without sunscreen adds to your lifetime sun exposure balance. The solution is simple: wear sunscreen. Get in the habit of putting it on every morning and you can dramatically reduce your lifetime sun exposure, your risk of skin cancer and sun-related skin damage.

#3: Keep Your Skin Young and Beautiful

You’d be surprised at what a toll the sun can take on your skin. The simple act of putting on sunscreen every day can save you from a lot of cosmetic treatments down the road. For smoother skin, fewer brown spots and less premature wrinkling, wear sunscreen.

#4: Brown Spots – Easy to Form, Hard to Eliminate

Brown spots and pigmentation problems are treatable, but they can be a bit tricky, especially if you aren’t willing to stay out of the sun. By using sunscreen, you can avoid or reduce the number of cosmetic treatments you’ll need (and can increase the results you do see from treatment).

#5: The Damage Isn’t Already Done

There’s a myth circulating around that you’ve already received the bulk of your lifetime sun exposure by the time you reach 18. This isn’t true. Sun exposure is a cumulative thing and continues from birth onward. If you’ve already spent too much time in the sun, make changes and stop the damage from progressing. It isn’t too late to make positive changes to your sun habits.

#6: Improve the Results of Your Cosmetic Treatments

Sun exposure and some cosmetic treatments don’t go well together. Patients who continue significant sun exposure while receiving treatments for pigmentation problems may actually make the problem worse and can experience scarring, blistering and more hyperpigmentation. Dr. Chang recommends avoiding significant sun exposure after some cosmetic treatments (ask her if this applies to your treatment). Sunscreen may help you to achieve this goal.

How Much Sunscreen Do I Need?

Apply sunscreen daily and use lots of it. For your face alone, you need a dollop about the size of a nickel (lots more if you’ll be covering your whole body). Use a high quality sunscreen like the ones in the ZO line that we carry here at Beatitude. We have an ongoing “Buy 4 Get 1 Free” promotion going on, so come in and stock up.