Anti Aging And Great Skin Care. Sunscreens Are A Big Part Of Both
It's impossible to stop yourself getting older, and aging skin is one of the results of getting older. But there's a number of factors skin aging and damage from the sun is one of the worst. If you're interested in the best anti aging skin care, sunscreen is a big part of it, but sunscreen isn't all.
The component of sunlight which damages your skin is ultraviolet radiation. UVA and UVB are both present in sunlight and UVB burns your skin. But blocking UVB radiation only prevents sunburn, and there is more to preventing skin aging from ultraviolet radiation than merely preventing UVB radiation.
That's because UVA radiation, although it doesn't burn your skin, is primarily responsible for skin aging as well as many of the worst skin cancers.
It is not well known but the FDA do not require labelling of sunscreens to indicate how much UVA protection is included. In the summer of 2008 only 29 percent of sunscreens on the market had a component of UVA protection. Fortunately that has increased to around 70 percent now, however this still means that some 30 percent of sunscreens do not prevent UVA exposure, and this can lead to excessive skin aging and skin cancer.
It's extremely difficult to know how much sun protection you are getting from your sunscreen. And if you're finding that you're suffering from early skin aging it may well be because you've relied on sunscreen for years not knowing that the UVA component is aging your skin and may even be leading to skin cancer, and has not prevented skin sun damage as you had hoped.
On top of this there are various ingredients in sunscreens which may damage your health such as oxybenzone which has been shown to work as a hormone disruptor and is even considered likely to cause skin cancer. And worse, some of the ingredients in sunscreen products can cause the effectiveness of the product to fail.
You would expect that consumers could be confident that a sunscreen will prevent them from suffering sunburn, skin cancer and skin ageing, however at the moment that is not a fair assumption. When buying a sunscreen you need to be extremely careful.
And sun protection isn't just about using a sunscreen. In fact the first method of sun protection that you turn to should be to avoid going out in the sun during the middle of the day in the summer, or to use a long sleeved shirt and hat if you do. Sunscreen is only necessary where unavoidable.
Many women, and men, who are interested in the best anti aging skin care do not realize that a large component of skin aging is totally preventable, being caused by sun damage. Starting today make a pact with yourself that you will avoid skin sun damage whenever you can. If you do this, in combination with using the best anti aging products it's possible to buy, then you're well on your way towards a skin care routine that will serve you well for decades.
Some anti aging products, namely the good ones, help reverse ageing of the skin, but preventing skin sun damage is one of the best ways to combat wrinkles and skin sagging in old age and must be a part of a quality anti aging routine.
To find out more about preventing skin aging and also about finding the best anti aging skin products available visit my website.