At FRANZ Skincare, our mission is all about fostering healthy skin from the inside out. Every new product, every clinical trial, every breakthrough is in service of giving you the best possible skin. So, of course, protecting your skin is something we care a lot about.
As the days start to get longer, we’ll be looking to get back out into the sunlight and enjoy the nice weather. Particularly, as businesses start to open and COVID-19 vaccinations get distributed, we’re all going to be eager to be outside with the people we love. Because it’s easier and safer to socially distance ourselves outdoors, we imagine we’ll be spending a lot of time out in the sunlight. Which is exciting, but also poses a problem: Sunlight provides a natural mood boost and some seriously healthy vitamins, but we all know sun exposure can damage your skin as well. So, how do you get the benefits of sunlight without harming your skin? As skincare experts, we’ve got answers.
Today, we’ll look at the dangers and benefits to sunlight and give you practical solutions to protect your skin without risking sun damage. Finally, we’ll give you our favorite skincare products to help reduce the signs of skin damage that may have occurred over the years from the sun.
| The Dangers of sunlight
The biggest drawback to sun exposure is skin damage. The sun gives off UV radiation in two types: UVA & UVB rays and they are both damaging to skin. UVB rays are a major cause of skin cancer. Sunscreens focus on measuring protection against UVB rays because of this serious health risk factor. However, UVA rays damage your skin as well, and they are responsible for brown spots, wrinkles and overall appearance of accelerated aging.
This is the most important step in protecting your skin against sun damage. We’ve dedicated an entire blog post to the importance of SPF called “
Everything you need to know about SPF skincare”. We encourage you to dive in to really understand all the ins and outs of sunscreen. Primarily, we encourage you to wear SPF every single day, (even in the winter or on less sunny days) because the harmful UVA and UVB rays can still affect your skin, no matter the time of year. Be sure you reapply sunscreen regularly to keep your SPF shield active!
Light-colored long-sleeve clothing, hats, and sunglasses all help against the sun’s harmful rays.
- Avoid long periods of direct sun exposure
Even with sunscreen protection and protective clothing, it’s best to avoid long periods of sun exposure. At the beach, spend time under an umbrella or cabana. Seek out the shade for breaks to reapply sunscreen and hydrate!
Sun exposure can dehydrate you and sometimes cause serious issues like heat stroke. To avoid this, be sure to hydrate frequently when you’re out in the sun. Not only is it important for you, but your skin needs it too!
| The benefits of sunlight:
We know that sunlight is a great source of vitamin D – critical to maintaining calcium and keeping bones from becoming brittle or thin. Vitamin D also supports your immune system. The good news is, you only need about 15 minutes of sun exposure a day to soak up the vitamin D. You can also get vitamin D through dietary supplements or through food like fatty fish and seafood and mushrooms.
- Boosts your mood and fights depression:
Sunlight gives you a natural boost of serotonin, which is a chemical that improves your mood and helps you stay calm and focused. Many people are affected by seasonal affective disorder: a change in mood during the time of year where the days are shorter and we see less sun, so getting sunlight can really improve your overall mental health. Spend a little time outdoors using sun protection to get this mood boost. Exercising outdoors also allows your mood to improve! In the winter, where there is less sun, you can still get the benefits of sunshine through sun lamps, meant to mimic natural light indoors to help balance your mood during darker times of the year.
Your body’s natural rhythms are affected by sunlight. Getting sunlight in the morning allows you to set your body’s clock and helps your body know when to release melatonin to send you to sleep at night.
Spending time outdoors doing leisure activities like exercising, walking your dog, reading, and spending time with loved ones helps relieve stress. Provided your skin is well protected, this is a wonderful benefit to sunlight.
| Skincare for sun damage:
In addition to SPF, properly caring for your skin can help prevent and reduce damage done to your skin from the sun. Here are our favorite products to help with sun damage in your skincare routine:
1
this incredible
ampoule provides deep healing and hydration on a cellular level to help your skin recover from the inside out. Using this ampoule in your skincare routine and under our
microcurrent masks will smooth and balance injured skin as well as strengthen skin barrier to lock in moisture and protect against environmental aggressors.
2
This premium Microcurrent Facial Dual Mask corrects and prevents signs of aging before it starts. This dual mask set works in two ways. Our
Tissue X® microcurrent technology sends healing waves through the layers of your skin. This is clinically proven to tighten and tone skin, to reduce any fine wrinkles and prevent them reoccurring, while delivering healing ingredients 6x deeper.
So, with these tips, go forth and enjoy being out in the sun! And do so knowing your skin will be well taken care of. From protection against the sun to powerful anti-aging and everything in between, FRANZ skincare has the products and insight you need for your very best skin.
