We aren’t going for the easy option today, instead we’re going to do this the hard way. No stories about how important it is to protect yourself against the sun, just big long lists of ingredients that you would rather forget about. However you do need to look through this… If you want to protect yourself properly against the sun and want to keep your skin nice and healthy it is essential that you select a good product. And for this you need to familiarise yourself with the ingredients list. I have already given you some examples of suitable products in “Help with Choosing Your Sun Cream”. It makes more sense to do your own researching. Maybe you’ll find much better creams than I have! If you take my list of do’s and don’ts with you I know for sure that you won’t go wrong. And then you can share it with us…
We are so excited by the discovery of the self tanner as an alternative to the damaging sun, and now the newspapers are full of reports that spray tan is possibly cancerous. Seeing as my inbox is full of questions from nervous users, I have got some more information in this blog about the safety of the self tanner.
Last week we had a few days off and I was looking forward to having a holiday in our own country filled with picnics, sailing and cycling trips and finishing off with a tasty BBQ on the beach. It turned out somewhat differently!
I have already written about the difference between men’s and women’s skin. Because they have more sebaceous glands their skin is more oily than that of women’s. Alongside this men have more collagen, elastin and sebum/hair follicles which “support” the skin. This makes men’s skin also slightly thicker (as if we didn’t already know that…:-)). Because the framework of the man’s skin is stronger, wrinkles and sagging skin take longer to appear. Not fair but true!
If there is one collective ideology amongst women (and a lot of men) that exists, then it is the wish to grow old beautifully. In other words; we do want the wisdom but not the saggy skin, pigment spots and the deep lines. A bit more Audrey Hepburn and a bit less Bardot…
The holidays have begun! Or at least for the lucky few in the middle of the Netherlands…. Today I saw the first cars loaded up (oh yes, because the potatoes, deep fat fryer and bikes need to go to) and all heading south.
Did you always love that feeling of the sun’s rays on your face through the window, then I’m going to throw a spanner in the works again ! Ageing behind glass is a very real prospect! If your work desk, for instance, is facing the sun, then the chances are that you may look like this lady after a few years. This Italian secretary worked for fifteen years with one side of her face exposed to the sun. And look at the result; the left side is 20 years older than the right side!!! Although UVB is blocked by glass, UVA passes straight through it. You should think about this if you do a lot of driving for your work….
Lately I have received many questions about sun allergies. Even yesterday a beauty journalist asked, why it is that sun allergies are more common now than a few years ago. I have my suspicions about this!
There is an extremely good website which shows you how to examine your own skin for irregular or malignant moles. The site is www.myskincheck.nl. I recommend everyone with an increased risk of skin cancer to look at this website.
You only have to look at the reactions on my blog about “the dangers of the sun” to see that this is a controversial subject (see this blog for example). In general I receive only good, positive and happy reactions. Having said that, the “sunbed industry” have responded less enthusiastically to my comments! No more than expected, of course…. The argument that is always raised by “sun worshipers” is that exposure to the sun is healthy as it is necessary for the formation of Vitamin D. Indeed, it is important for us, but luckily we can also gain it in a more sensible way. Below are the latest findings about the sun and this vitamin, compiled by the American Academy of Dermatology (“Don’t Seek the Sun: Top Reasons to Get Vitamin D From Your Diet”). You can also find the references via the link.