Sunscreen Anti-Aging Skincare Ingredient MUST HAVE for Mature Skin

Now to the ingredient that I circled back to in every other anti-aging skincare ingredient post - Sunscreen. I am going to go over some important things you have to know about sunscreens.  I may be beating a dead horse, and if you have heard these things already than please be patient. When I decided to really define a simplified skincare routine packed with all the essential players, I discovered that sunscreen is a must in ensuring the success of this plan. 

I used to think that since my makeup had a SPF 15, I was covered, right?  Much to my surprise, there is a lot more to it then I realized.  The sun protection from your sunscreen is dose specific, so a general rule of thumb is that you will need ¼-1/2 tsp of sunscreen for your face and neck.  So, as you can imagine, that would be a lot of makeup!  It’s ok to have makeup with an SPF, but don’t rely on it. 

Application of the sunscreen is very important.  Not only are you dealing with more product than you might be used to, but you want to make sure that you have a good even coat of it all over your face (including area around your eyes), neck and ears.  I also found a body lotion that does double duty in that it is also a sunscreen, so I add that to my chest, arms and whatever else is exposed.  You want to add your sunscreen after your skin products but before makeup.  Allow the sunscreen to settle into your skin before you start moving it around with foundation or concealers.

When looking for a sunscreen, you want to make sure it is broad spectrum, meaning it blocks both UVB- the rays that burn you, and UVA- the rays that age you.  When you are outside, both UVA and UVB are present, but it is the UVB rays that give us the sun burns, so it’s important to be more mindful of how much you are being exposed, and making behavioral modifications that can help keep you be more protected.  In addition to your sunscreen, use physical barriers like sunglasses and hats when you are outdoors.  If you can, seek shade and avoid being out in the direct sun as much as possible.  

It is necessary to reapply sunscreen to be properly protected, and I know that can be a pain.  I apply my sunscreen in the morning and then use a powder sunscreen before I go for my midday walk, because I have a face of makeup, so it makes it a lot easier to dust that on rather than adding a lotion.  I do reapply my body lotion with SPF to my body that is exposed. Now that I am going gray, I have learned that you even have to protect your gray hair from the sun, so there are sunscreens for your hair! 

Here is the kicker. Even when you are inside, you have to protect yourself from the UVA rays, which are the ones that cause aging.  So, it really is about just getting in the habit of applying sunscreen everyday as a part of your morning routine and then finding times in the day when you know it is time to reapply another protective layer. One thing you can do to make this habit stick is to find a product that does double duty and acts as both a moisturizer as well as a sunscreen. We are already used to having to apply a moisturizer, so this should already be pretty automatic. As for reapplying sunscreen, when you are heading outside and gathering your things to go, add in the step of armoring yourself with sun protection.

The products I use are Cerave Tinted Sunscreen SFP 30, and I really like that they have added ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.  Another one I really like is the Australian Gold Tinted Sunscreen SFP 50.  I have not had any issues with either of these and they act as double duty, because I use these as my daily moisturizer as well.  Sometimes, they act as triple duty, because they are tinted and act as my foundation for my “no makeup” makeup days. They both are very comfortable to wear and are not overly greasy or have a white cast.  I did accidently order the Cerave Hydrating Mineral Body Sunscreen and that one does have a very strong white cast. and it really adheres to your skin!  I was not a fan of that one.  I will wear it when I am at home gardening, but I won’t go out in public with it!  For the body, I really like the Eucerin Daily Hydration Cream with SPF 30. 

I have a free downloadable Anti-Aging skincare schedule with a morning and night routine. You can find that on my home page.