Monday, April 16, 2012

Sunscreen 101



Hi beauties! Do you know that it is important to wear sunscreen everyday? No matter how sunny and cloudy the weather is, you can never skip sunscreen on your skin care routine. Simply put, the sun can cause sun damage and skin cancer. To be honest with you guys, I just started using sunscreen daily a month ago. I did wear sunscreen daily like two years ago for maybe a few months, but then I discontinued using it and now my skin is damaged by the sun.

Well you know that I have acne scars problems. The scars became worse, and part of it was because the sun UV rays. The sun can leave a spot on your skin, that's why you have freckles or basically just dark spots. Here's where the sunscreen comes in handy. It is like a shield to protect your face from the sun rays so you won't have dark spots. Because once you have dark spots, it is hard to remove them. It is seriously harder than remove a pimple or acne! So please protect your skin while you can :)

And you also know that the higher SPF the better. I use SPF 50 daily, and I try to wear it at least 20 minutes before I go out because sunscreen needs 20 minutes to really sink in to your skin. However, it is sad that a lot of people do not see how important sunscreen is, and therefore they never wear it. I was one of those people too. I love to get tanned, but sadly my skin is so fair and I won't get tanned no matter how long I stay in the sun (I used self-tanner sometimes). In the summer, I will always try to get the sun hits me without a sunscreen on at all, and I really regret it and I wish I could go back to those times so that I wouldn't have hyperpigmentation on my face right now.

Choosing the right sunscreen is not as easy as choosing what to wear. Sunscreen contains so many chemicals of UV filters (mainly Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide) that could react differently to your skin. Your skin can breakout or be too drying if you are allergic to one or some of the ingredients, no matter how high-end or low-end your sunscreen is. At first I thought I'd buy a famous sunscreen brand like La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 60, but my skin was breaking out like crazy after that. Now I am using IQQU Advanced Sunscreen SPF 50, and don't worry, I will do a review about it next! :)

There are a few reasons why people do not like to wear sunscreen. It might be because they feel too greasy, heavy, or dry after applying it, or it leaves a white cast after application. The sunscreen that I am using now is actually really white and chalky, but it absorbs fast. So, you really just have to go through trial and error to finally find a sunscreen that fits your skin best.

Sunscreen has to be the last skin care product you apply on your skin. After you cleanse, treat, and moisturize, then you protect your skin with a sunscreen. Sometimes I like to wait for a while before I put on makeup, but if I don't have much time, I will do my makeup right away. You also need to reapply sunscreen every two hours, especially if you are in outdoor for long hours. Thank God we don't need to wear sunscreen at night because it is when the fun begins! Don't wear sunscreen or any products that contain SPF if you are planning to take pictures that night because SPF can reflects the flashlight from your camera that will cause your face looks so white on the camera.

In addition, wear sunscreen when you just exfoliate your skin or use antibiotics because your skin becomes more sensitive to the sun after exfoliation. Again, where sunscreen no matter how the weather is during the day because UV rays are always present even though you do not see the sun. Sunny day can be nice, but the sun really can cause skin damage and aging.

There is a lot more to know about sunscreen, but I think I have covered all the important and general things about it. So please wear sunscreen everyday if you want to prevent skin aging, skin cancer and other damages. You can always enjoy the sun with having a shield on your face that can against the UV rays.


Are you wearing sunscreen everyday? What is your favorite sunscreen? 


If you have any questions about sunscreen or anything, please ask in the comment below. I will always respond! You can always ask me or talk to me on Twitter and Facebook too! 


Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexandraubymakeup 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/alexandrauby


Love YOU! 
Alexandra


Photo is from here.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I know that Sunscreen is really important to wear daily, I am trying to find the right one for me =)

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    1. If you could let me know what's the right one for you, that would be awesome!!! hee hee :)

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