Beauty

the FACTOR FASCIST

8 things you need to know about the sun

Oh yes guys, the weather this past week has finally taken a turn for the better. It’s been warm. It’s going to stay warm (unless you live in New York, seems like’s it hasn’t stopped raining this past week). The summer is fi-na-lly here and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s great to spend your entire day with your face in the sun and look like you’ve just returned from a flash trip to Ibiza. It’s possible, but remember, there are always side effects. There are eight things you need to know about the sun to avoid that tomato red look incase you’ve tanned just a little too quickly. Here they are, according to Jetske Ultee (a Dutch doctor specialized in skin care):

1. We’re allowed to sit out in the sun

“Of course it’s okay to sit out in the sun. Just make sure you use protection. Rays of sunshine can be damaging to your skin. And they also speed up the aging process; think wrinkles and pigment.”

2. Sun makes you happy

“Sun is great to crank up your vitamin D intake. But that doesn’t outweigh the harmful side effects of the sun. That’s why you should enjoy it, but enjoy it wisely.”

3. Apply it often

“Make sure to put on sunscreen every two hours or so, so that the SPF of the sunscreen really get’s to do its job. So no, the SPF is not a fable. After application, the filters’ effectiveness decreases, so no, applying it once won’t protect you for the entire day.”

4. The shelf life of sunscreen

“Sunscreen won’t be good forever. After a while, the chemical filters will stop working, and that’s why I would advise you to buy a new one if you’ve had your sunscreen for longer than 12 months. In other words, a new one each year. Each package should have a symbol on it which indicates that if it hasn’t been opened yet, the products shelf life is about thirty months, once it’s been opened, it’ll let you know how long it’s good for.”

5. A sunbed to help you pre-tan

“Don’t do it. Tanning in a sunbed doesn’t protect you from getting sun burnt. Plus, sunbeds predominantly use UVA. This radiation penetrates your skin deeper than UVB and it damages your DNA and speeds up the aging process.”

6. Which SPF should you go for?

”What people don’t know is that there is absolutely no filter that can protect you 100%, not even SPF 50. When you use sunscreen and apply it according to the rules, an SPF 50 product will protect you for 97% of the sunlight and an SPF 30 will do this for 94%. A factor 50 is only 1 tot 2% better. Unless your skin tone is extremely light. Are you someone who doesn’t apply sunscreen too often but you have a lot of pigment blemishes? Go for an SPF 30.”

7. Look up some shade

 “No wrinkles without any sun. Seeing how 90% of wrinkles is caused by the sun, your best anti-wrinkle cream is sunscreen. And remember that the higher the SPF, the better. So, make sure to apply it on frequently and use about half a desert spoon for your face.”

8. Eat yourself pretty

 “Keep in mind what you eat. Tomatos’ carrots, beetroot and broccoli can limit UV damage. You’ll need a huge dose of them, but now you’ll know what to order when you’re sitting outside at a café. Better safe than sorry!”