Consider this permission to have fun outside this summer, only if you’re sun smart, says editor Trudi Brewer. Here are her best SPF tips, and new formulas to use on any skin type and age.
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It sounds preachy, but sunscreen is a girl's BFF - and without wearing it, you will get dark spots and lines and wrinkles. That's why it should be accessible and affordable so everyone can use it. To put things into perspective, Melanoma New Zealand report, 4000 people are diagnosed with either melanoma in situ or invasive melanoma every year in NZ – that's around 13 cases every day. Sadly, melanoma incidence rates are the highest here in NZ than anywhere else in the world, and while 70 per cent of those diagnosed are 50 plus - melanoma is not the only damage your skin gets from UVA and UVB rays. On a brighter note, what you do every day is accumulative, wearing SPF, 365 days of the year helps to keep your complexion looking younger - longer - I promise. Read on for my tips on keeping your skin safe, while having fun under the sun.
Always be prepared
Good sun care starts with finding a sunscreen you like wearing. Think of sunscreen as an extension of your skincare. If you like a lightweight moisturiser go for as gel sunscreen formula or a spray. If you like a nourishing formulation on your skin, choose a cream. For sensitive skins, choose a formulation designed or babies.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face & Body Sunscreen Stick, SPF50, $21.
Oil-free and water-resistant this sunscreen balm comes in a solid stick designed to protect both your face, and body. It contains a blend of organic and non-organic ingredients, in the clever Neutrogena Helioplex formulation. Pocket-sized, it’s travel-friendly and the matte finish offers broad-spectrum sun protection against cancer and wrinkle-causing UVA and UVB rays.
Layer on your screens
Apply the first layer of sunscreen while getting ready in the morning. If you are out in the sun, set an alarm on your phone and spritz a spray sunscreen over the top of the first layer. This is what dermatologists recommend, but they warn you can not rely on sunscreen alone to stay safe. Wear SPF protective clothing and avoid the sun between 11 and three pm, when UV rays are at their most powerful.
Sebamed Sun Spray SPF30+ $23.
This handy sunscreen spray keeps skin balanced and feeling calm. Alcohol, fragrance and oil-free, with no nasties including paraffin, parabens, PEG bonds, PABA esters, acrylamide, including the oxybenzone the chemical responsible for bleaching coral reefs. Boosted with vitamin E, and provitamin B5, it’s nourishing on the skin, water-resistant, and not greasy - genius.
If you suffer from breakouts when using sunscreen - go organic. Try a mineral sunscreen powder or baby specific sunscreens that are high in sun protection and gentle on sensitive skins. Top up your makeup with a mineral SPF powder sunscreen that offers brush-on sunscreen protection in a matte finish.
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush SPF30, $85.
This buff on mineral sunscreen comes in a convenient brush that is pre-loaded with SPF 30 sun protection powder. It can be worn alone or over makeup, which makes it ideal for touch-ups during the day.
Layer antioxidants under your SPF
Layer antioxidant ingredients under your sunscreen to prevent damage from intense UV rays. Vitamin C serums help brighten dull skin and fight hyperpigmentation while offering further protection from those damaging free radicals.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 35, $69.
A gel-cream moisturizer with a built-in SPF that is stacked with hydrating hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. The broad-spectrum SPF 35 protects the skin from the sun and blue light (HEV rays) that are floating about in our atmosphere.
Rates of melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) have tripled over the past 35 years, which means sunscreen alone is not the answer to being sun safe. And the higher the SPF can be misleading, even if you wear an SPF 60 plus, don't think you can stay out in the sun for hours. Also, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide-based sunscreens contain nanoparticles, invisible to the eye; they are there to eliminate the chalky white cast zinc leaves on he skin, but these too come with risks.
Coola Mineral Body Sunscreen Fragrance-Free, $59.
It ticks all the boxes for being an organic offering, that's ideal for sensitive skin. Smart technology called ‘genre-defying technology’ help disperse non-nano minerals evenly on the skin, to give a sheer, lightweight finish that is water-resistant. Boosted with skin-loving antioxidants, it's also reef safe and paraben-free.
Editor Trudi Brewer shares sun wise SPF tips, and the latest formulas on TV3’s The Cafe with host Melanie Holmer.
