Kasha Zee.: Daily sun protection talk.

As it is skin cancer awareness month, I decided to post some useful information and tips regarding sun protection. But first, let's talk about why sun protection is so important, and what a difference it makes aesthetically.

Did you know that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer?

Did you know that skin cancer is not uncommon among young people, even those in their early 20s?

Did you know that there is a very simple method of drastically decreasing the chances of getting skin cancer?

There are a few risk factors that can contribute to skin cancer, predominantly exposure to UV light, as well as moles. (read more about the risk factors here).

UV light can be split up into three categories:

UVA - cause cells to age and can cause some damage to cells' DNA, and are linked to long-term skin damage, such as wrinkles, but are also thought to play a role in some skin cancers.
UVB - can cause direct damage to the DNA and are the main rays that cause sunburns. They are also thought to cause most skin cancers.
UVC - don't get through our atmosphere, thus are not present in sunlight, and they do not normally cause skin cancer.

Therefore, it is extremely important that when choosing an SPF lotion, we make sure it protects us from both UVA and UVB rays!

Now, the aesthetic side of things.

This is a photograph showing a man who has worked as a truck driver for 28 years. The more 'aged' side of his face is the side that had been exposed to sunlight through the window, while the other side had been shaded most of the time.

If this doesn't convince you to wear sunscreen daily, I don't know what will.

And finally, the tips on choosing the right sunscreen and applying it correctly!

For daily use, you only really need to go for an SPF 15 - 30, that is, if you don't spend a large amount of time outside.
For days that you are outside for a long period of time, wear an SPF of up to 60. Anything higher than that doesn't really give any more sun protecting power, the lotion just gets thicker and more unpleasant to apply.
If you engage in any activities that cause your sunscreen to wipe off, you must reapply it.
Remember, layering products that have SPF in them DOES NOT increase the overall SPF. You only get the protection of the first product you have applied.
For an SPF product to work, it has to be the first product applied to your skin after cleansing it. If you apply moisturiser without SPF, and then apply sunscreen over it, you will not get the sun protection!
If you have a darker skin colour, it does not mean you can't get skin cancer!
Make-up containing an SPF does provide adequate sun protection, as long as it is the first product applied to our skin after cleansing.
BB creams ftw!
The SPF of a sunscreen is decreased to its square root if not enough is applied.