Most of us know the importance of wearing sunscreen in the summer months to avoid sunburn and damage, but it really should be a year-round preventive health measure. Wearing sunscreen every day is a crucial part of your skincare routine, and without it, you are exposing the sensitive skin on your face to unnecessary damage from sun exposure.
Benefits of sunscreen
Here are the top three benefits of sunscreen use:
Keeps complexion even
Using sunscreen on your face helps to keep your complexion even. Sun damage is one of the many causes of uneven skin tones and daily sun cream helps to prevent those effects.
Protects from blotchy skin and hyperpigmentation
Moose Photos/ Pexels | As much as 80% of UV rays still reach your skin on cloudy day
Uneven skin pigmentation (or hyperpigmentation) refers to parts of the skin becoming discoloured or darkening in an inconsistent way. This can be hereditary, but it can also be caused by sun exposure. Blotchy skin or dark spots may spring up on the face, hands and other parts of the body regularly exposed to the sun. SPF protect your skin from such kind of skin reaction and helps to avoid dark spots, wrinkles and even skin cancer.
It lowers your skin cancer risk
Fortunately, sunscreen is very effective in reducing the risk of developing a variety of skin cancers, especially melanoma. This type of skin cancer is known to be extremely aggressive and can be life-threatening for many women, particularly those in their 20s. However, you must apply sunscreen daily to see the cumulative protection over the days and months.
Best sunscreens in 2022
Kindel Media/ Pexels | Sunscreen is an important part of a complete sun protection strategy
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
It contains active ingredients including niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. When combined, they act as a protective barrier for the skin and give a boost of hydration to combat dryness. Because it’s oil-free, non-comedogenic, and fragrance-free, it’s a great pick for both oily and sensitive skin types. And as far as sun protection goes, it even boasts the Skin Cancer Foundation’s seal of approval as a recommended product for daily use.
Eminence Organics Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer
This moisturizer has an SPF of 40 and is suitable for all skin types. The company recommends that people reapply for the product every 2 hours and use a water-resistant sunscreen instead if they are swimming. The key ingredients include zinc oxide for sun protection, passion fruit seed oil to improve dry skin, cocoa seed extract to improve skin appearance, satsuma peel extract to protect against pollution and larch tree to hydrate the skin.
Nadine Wuchenauer/ Pexels | Even if you don't feel the heat of the sun, the rays can still damage your skin
Best Multitasker: bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30
Its gel-cream hybrid formula feels cool and refreshing upon application and is packed with hydrating squalene, marine botanicals, and mineral electrolytes. And because it's SPF 30, it checks off three main requirements; makeup, skincare, and sun protection,at once. Not to mention that it’s the only pick on this list that relies on a mineral sunscreen ingredient, a boon for anyone who might experience irritation from chemical sunscreen ingredients.