BEAUTY
October 5, 2011
3 Scary Sun Facts about the Sun and Your Skin
I had a great time speaking at the Beauty Bash in NYC this weekend, and while I was there picked up a couple of really fascinating sun and skin damage facts that shocked me.
Dermatologist Dr. Ellen Marmur gave a great talk about the sun being the number one thing that will age your skin.
Nothing new, except for these three facts we never knew about.
- If you sit under an umbrella, you are not out of harm’s way. 50% of the sun’s rays are reflected up at you from the sand!
- If you are swimming, your body (which is underwater) is not protected. The sun can penetrate 2 feet down into the water!
- If you go to a sunbed even once, you increase your risk of getting skin cancer by 75%. Can you believe it, not to mention we all know that the sun severely wrinkles and dries out our skin and it causes dark age spots! So if you didn’t get out of the sun a long time ago, do so now- immediately!
If sun damage from your youth is showing up now, what are you doing about it?
Do you use special creams you use? Have you tried chemical peels or lasers? What else is working for you?
Comment below and let me know.
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I’m 42 and lived most of my life in Oregon. I had many sunburns skiing in my younger days. Even in cloudy weather, you need sunscreen! I’m religious about it now, even in the winter when it rains. You never know where those lousy UV rays are lurking!
I am 46, and looking good has always been important to me. I see signs of aging all over me, including all the sunspots that have formed. I’m bummed that some of them are on my face. I wish there were something I could do.
Hold on to your hats! I live in a nudist resort! Everybody, EVERYBODY, worships the South Texas sun but me…many don’t even wear sunscreen and have the dermatologist burn-off marks to prove it…plus the wrinkles.
I play a lot of water volleyball but always wear a sun-protective shirt covering my upper thigh. The covered skin is whitish but plump, healthy, and un-lined….the exposed skin, even with liberal sunscreen applications, is dryer, spotted, and sometimes just not healthy looking. And the sun does penetrate the water deeper than two feet, as my tanned toes will tell you.
Hi Sue, you certainly sound qualified to weigh in here! Thanks for your post!
I started using sunscreen daily in my mid-40s, but I wish I had been so careful in my 20s and 30s. I have had two small actinic keratosis spots removed this year; one from my forehead and one from my arm.
I use sunscreen now, but I grew up in Arizona and fried my skin daily! I am at a loss of what to do now that I am 49 years old, and I am told damage is already done. I feel helpless and have great remorse.
Teresa in Virginia Beach
I’m 56 and sat in the sun for many hours during my teenage years. Few spots, but very dry. I use a general moisturizer and then add an unscented oil after a shower. Moisturizer products for my face are varied, but I always use a serum, a specific moisturizer for the eyes, and a face cream. Occasionally I use a mud mask. The results — not so bad for 56!
Have to add… I feel sorry for Gov. Jan B. of Arizona…Can you imagine seeing yourself on the web as an example of sun-damaged skin… YIKES!!
I can’t say I’ve been diligent about sun protection. I’ve lived in the south most of my life – and I love the outdoors—hiking, gardening, swimming, etc. And yes, it does show. I don’t have that porcelain skin. But my mom doesn’t either, and she stayed out of the sun her whole life. I have worn sun-protecting foundation for years, but it’s only done so much. I don’t have much wrinkling, but I have some spots, especially around the hairline (maybe I’ve missed that with the foundation). I’ve used a microdermabrasion scrub and Salicylic Acid with some success. Roc is also good, but I don’t love the perfume smell. I use a vitamin C-based serum that works pretty well too. Tiny broken blood vessels are also an issue, but it’s not so much the sun as the heat that causes these (or the extreme cold can, too, I believe). I’ve gone to a couple of dermatologists, but I’ve never found one that convinced me they could help enough to keep me going.
Great info! Wow………a tanning bed does that! I use SPF on my face every day, but early on, we tanned in high school and early 20s. I don’t have much damage, but I cover up a little. I use concealer, then a makeup primer before foundation, and after, I moisturize in the morning and add my sunscreen. There are more steps to things nowadays, ha! Bonnie
I’ve easily lost ten years off my looks by simply staying out of the sun and using SPF in my skin care products. I have a gorgeous 18-year-old daughter, and my best beauty advice is SPF, SPF, SPF! Thanks for a great article and terrific examples. I’ll pass them along!
Sun damage is starting to show — specifically brown spots on my cheekbones! I’m more than willing to ignore the areas on my hands, but it’s a bit harder on my face. So I just started using a fade cream for my face. No results yet, but it’s early.
I’m 53, fair-skinned, and was a sun worshipper until my mid 30’s. I’ve seen significant improvements in the texture and fine lines from sun damage on my face by using Mary Kay Time Wise Exfoliating Cleanser and Mary Kay Moisture daily, Roc Retin A serum, and Roc cream at night, and Mary Kay Micro-dermabrasion scrub and Replenishing serum three times a week. I am shocked at how the skin on my face has responded to this regimen; I never expected to see such a dramatic difference with non-prescription skin care products.
I recently turned 46; after spending most of my life in New Zealand and Australia, countries well known for their high sunshine and UV levels, people consistently think I am 10 years younger. I often have to show my ID to prove my age. I put it down to daily use of high-level sunscreens, particularly on my face and neck, during summer and winter for the past 25 years.