Pretty much everyone knows or has heard about the benefits of wearing sunscreen on a regular basis, but there remain an alarming number of people who regularly flaunt this advice. Remember that the sunshine and its UV rays don’t take a day off, and many people are caught out. Whether your “skin sins” are huge (like greasing up with olive oil before hitting the sunbeds), or relatively trivial (like forgetting to include SPF protection in your daily regime), your skin is being damaged by exposure to the sun.
Here are some of the top reasons why we should all be using sunscreen every day for healthy skin.
It Decreases Your Chance of Developing Skin Cancer
Skin cancer can be very deadly, and it is on the rise because of the growing usage of sunbeds, amongst other things. Some studies suggest that up to 90% of non-melanoma skin cancers and 65% of all melanomas are caused by exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun. Using sun cream protects your skin from the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) which causes damage to your cells. It is this damage that can lead to the kinds of mutations which cause skin cancer. This makes sunscreen the single most effective way to limit your risk of developing skin cancer, apart from avoiding daylight altogether (which has its own negative effects).
You are Less Likely to Get a Dreaded Sunburn
When you use sunscreen you are much less likely to get sunburnt; this much is very obvious. Of course, this doesn’t make it a nominal benefit – sunburn is the bane of many a traveler: itchy, painful, tight, and followed by peeling, sunburn sucks. This damage is often the first step to developing skin cancer, too. Just one blistering sunburn during childhood can double the likelihood of developing cancer later in life, though sunburn at any age increases your risk.
It Helps Fend Off Premature Aging of the Skin
As well as being damaging to your health, UV rays can damage the look and feel of your skin by inducing “photoaging”. The side effects include wrinkles, sagging, leather-like texture, discolorations, and hyperpigmentation (age or liver spots); faithfully applying sunblock can fend off these signs of aging and keep your skin supple and smooth for longer.
Not just for sunny vacations
Even on overcast days you should wear sunscreen as up to 80% of the sun’s rays make it through clouds and fog, and, in addition to this, UVR levels rise with altitude. Water, snow, and concrete can also increase the effects of UVR by as much as 80%!
If you wear sunscreen every day, no matter the weather, you will protect your skin from so much more than just aging. This is why it is key to wear sunscreen daily, no matter the weather or temperature.
