Keep Your Skin Gleaming

During The Summer Heat!

By Betty Yost

Merle Norman and More

 

Skin cancer, problems with early aging and discoloration (blotchiness) can plague those who neglect proper summertime skin care.

 

Here is a quiz that will alert you to the danger of failing to take proper care of your skin, and that we hope will make you more aware of some ways to repair sun damage.  

 

Just answer true or false and then read the correct information below:

 

1. 40 percent of the sun’s rays penetrate from the clouds.

This is false. 80 percent of the sun’s rays penetrate from the clouds.

 

2. You can not get sun damage in the winter.

This is false. The UVB rays (burning rays) are stronger in the summer months, but the UVA rays (aging rays) hit the earth with equal intensity 365 days a year. Therefore, you can get the same amount of aging damage in January as in July.

 

3. Dark skins do not need to wear a daily sun block.

This is false. Having naturally dark skin gives a person a false sense of security. DNA damage to skin begins within five minutes of UV exposure, regardless of skin coloring. As dark spots on dark skin are more difficult to see, skin cancer is usually diagnosed at a later stage and is more likely to be fatal.

 

4. Before leaving for a sunny vacation destination, you should go to the tanning salon to “get a base”.

This is false. There is no such thing as a “safe tan”. Any amount of color developed from UV exposure, even in a tanning bed, is damage to the skin. In fact, tanning beds have at least two to three times more UVA light than the sun.

 

5. 80 percent of all skin damage before the age of 60 is sun related.

This is true. Sun and environmental damage to the skin is cumulative and adds up over time to form a line, wrinkle or a dark spot. In fact, approximately 80 percent of the visible signs of aging are caused by the sun while heredity accounts for only about 20 percent of the visible damage.

 

6. A tube of SPF 50 sun block gives better sun protection than a tube of SPF 15 sun block.

This is false. A higher SPF is not a more effective block against the sun’s harmful rays. The SPF number on the product tells you how long that product will protect you from getting a sun burn.

 

7. Broad Spectrum protection means that the product blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

This is true. Using a product with Broad Spectrum Protection ensures that you are getting the best sun protection available.

 

8. UVA protection means that the product contains antioxidants.

This is false. UVA protection means that the product helps to block the aging rays of the sun. Antioxidants are an important part of daily skin care as they help to neutralize free radical damage within the skin. Free radicals are found in the environment and cause premature aging of the skin.

 

Come see us at Merle Norman and More if you have questions about your skin.   We will be glad to help with any skin problem you may be having.