How To Protect Your Skin From Sun Damage

May is skin cancer awareness month. Unfortunately, my family has a too-close relationship with cancer, melanoma specifically. You can read our story here. This time of year I struggle with wanting to be in the warm sunshine all the time, and the nagging – guilt feeling of what I could potentially be doing to my skin and body.  Over time, I have found ways to enjoy the sun without the guilt and I thought I would share some ideas on how to protect your skin from sun damage. 

More Ways Than Just Sun Screen

We hear ” wear sunscreen” over and over again. Yes, we should be wearing sunscreen and I will get into more details on that later, but there are so many other simple ways to protect your skin from the sun. Some of these are no brainer ideas, that you most likely already knew. Sometimes though, we need a reminder. You can use this post as a reminder, but hopefully, you will learn something new too!

How To Protect Your Skin From Sun Damage

Before we dive in, as much as I wan to protect myself from skin cancer, I also have seen first hand, how much the sun can age you. I want to prevent wrinkles, sun spots, and other skin damage as much as I can. My grandmother spent very little time in the sun and now even at 82, her skin is beautiful. She is my skin role model and I strive to do everything I can to have gorgeous skin like hers. That has to be in my genes right?? 

One // Wear A Sun Hat

I told you that some of these ideas weren’t groundbreaking, but would serve as a great reminder. Any time, I am at the beach I wear a large wide brim straw hat. This way my face, neck, and hopefully a little of my shoulders are covered. You have seen me wear this hat time and time again. Here is a similar option since the other one is low in stock.  This summer hat is a great option since it has a wide-brim and is incredibly flexible for packing. 

Even when walking around the neighborhood, I wear a baseball hat. I try to keep the sun off my face as much as possible. If you really want to go big and have full protection, these sun shields are becoming extremely popular.

Two // Sun Protection Clothing

Sun protection clothing is one of the best discoveries for sun worshippers. I love the Cabana Life brand and their clothing! Their fabrics block 98% of UVA and UVB rays, which give me full confidence while walking in the sun. I’m wearing their bikini top, bottom, and kimono above and love the colorful patterns and lightweight fabric!

Three // Vitamin C

Vitamin C has been a huge hype in the beauty realm lately and for good reason! It provides UV protection and makes your sunscreen even more effective, fades dark spots, and produces collagen. Those are just a few of the benefits! Vitamin C serums are a great preventative measure, but also work on the flip side if you are trying to reverse previous sun damage. I use this serum morning and night and have seen great improvements in my skin! It has only been about 4 weeks, but so far my skin is more smooth, some of my spots/freckles have faded and it gives my skin a beautiful glow. If you want to read more about vitamin c benefits, I highly recommend this article. I also linked some other great vitamin c options below.

Four // Sunless Tan

Oh friends, I admit that I have been a sunless tanner fan since high school. Back to the days of the horribles smells, splotchy application, and orange skin. Self-tanners have come a long way! I should know because I have just about tried all of them! While it may take some time to find the right one for you, most of them today, no longer have a terrible smell or orange undertones. I know it can be scary to jump into the self-tan world, but trust me it is so much better than the alternate. I just started using this self-tanner and I love it! Make sure to use it with these mitts! When I use them, I find that I have very little streaking and no weird orange palms. I do plan on doing a whole post about how I self-tan, which products to use and products. Be on the lookout for it!

Five // Sunscreen

We have now come full circle during this post. We are back to discussing sunscreen, but really. What kind of sun protection blog post would this be if it didn’t mention sunscreen??  Bye-bye are the days of just wearing sunscreen to the beach!

I use a face sunscreen every day. This is my absolute favorite because it is 50 SPF, tinted and it goes on like any other facial lotion. It provides a nice glow and some days, I don’t even feel the need to wear foundation because of the coverage! If I need a full face of makeup, however, it blends very nicely under any foundation I have tried.  Although it is not waterproof, I do wear it at the beach or going to the pool. I just reapply when I come out of the water and so far I have never gotten burned. If you are looking for face sunscreen that is waterproof/ resistant, I used this for a long time and loved it! 

So many swear by this sunscreen for everyday use on their body. I personally have not tried it, but it’s on my list!

I am definitely not perfect when it comes to sun protection, but the best I can do is try! 

All My Love,

Michelle Marie