It’s finally May and that means it’s Melanoma Awareness. So let’s talk about the importance of sunscreen.  I know it’s a redundant topic but I think it’s always worth reading about a few important measures we can take against skin cancer.

Each year May reminds me of warmer days and the time to visit my dermatologist for a skin analysis.  As I’ve blogged about before, our skin is exposed every day to harmful rays.  Although 15 minutes of sun gives us our needed daily dose of Vitamin D, anything over that amount of time can do damage.  To help prevent daily accumulative damage, we need to wear a daily broad spectrum sunscreen.  Broad spectrum just means that it prevents both UVA and UVB rays.  Studies have shown that using a daily sunscreen can reduce the risk of developing skin cancer by 40%!  Plus, people who wear daily sunscreen show 24 percent less skin aging than those who don’t!  Who doesn’t want to look younger?????

For years now I have been wearing a daily mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide.  I prefer to use a sunscreen with niacin which helps to fade existing sun damage and prevents future damage.

While walking to the bus stop, gardening or running errands, you are exposed to harmful UV rays.  So, I suggest making sunscreen part of your daily ritual and apply it to your face, neck, chest and hands.

Keywords when shopping for sunscreen: mineral, broad spectrum, zinc oxide and anti-aging.

~Skincare Warrior

Warrior tip:  Check out this article I recently came across that explains the difference between physical and mineral sunscreens at  Women’s Health