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Spring to the sun cream in Spring!   by Therese

For those who live in the Northern hemisphere, it’s been a long cold winter and we’re all pleased the sun is emerging once more. With our skin hardly exposed to the sun for the last six months, there’s a temptation to dash out into the sunshine at the sight of the first few rays.

However, do exercise some caution. Your skin will be particularly sensitive to sun in the first few weeks and it is advisable to use a high protection cream every time you step outside so that you build up your skin’s resistance. Only then can you reduce the protection factor.

It’s now widely accepted that most sun damage occurs in the first twenty years of life and that babies are particularly susceptible. So, any loving parent should take particular care over their toddler’s skin in the sun. A thin long-sleeved top, long cotton trousers and a hat are all essential for a baby outdoors even in spring time.

And for adults, what tips should we follow? The most sensitive areas of your skin are around the eyes, the neck and the décolleté (the upper chest and cleavage area). The skin around your eyes is particularly thin and fragile and the first skin to wrinkle, so do protect yourself! All opticians wisely recommend that you should wear sun glasses – they’re not just a fashion statement – they protect your eyes and the skin around your eyes! As well as this, a specific eye protection sun cream is a must – I recommend Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control.

If you have spent time and money on having your hair highlighted or coloured, you could be in for a nasty surprise unless you wear a sun hat on a glorious day. The sun bleaches hair and will quickly turn highlights green, whilst hair which is coloured rich brown will turn red! Even natural hair needs to be protected from the sun’s rays which will cause your hair to dry and bleach. Look at long hair for evidence of this! Commonly you’ll see the ends a much lighter colour than the roots since they have been exposed to sunlight for much longer.

People forget that tanned skin is essentially damaged skin. If you tan slowly, the amount of damage is relatively small and so you may be unaware of it and even look very healthy. But even then, there is damage there! We all need a little sunlight since it provides us with vitamin D but only a few minutes sunshine a day is required. In fact, unless you live underground, you’ll definitely exceed your RDA!

You may have heard a lot of this before but at this time of year, a little reminder is never a bad thing!

About the Author

Therese is an expert on staying young and looking beautiful. At 50, she’s often mistaken for around 35. For more beauty tips, visit her website, Stay Young Beauty Secrets.