Put Some Sunscreen On. Now!

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I really hope Miranda Kerr is wearing sunscreen! 

There are literally UV rays from everywhere.  It doesn’t matter if you have full sleeves on or if you’re sitting under a giant umbrella.  It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy, if you’re sitting in your car, if you’re indoors or if you’re on the beach, if it’s winter or summer – you can seriously harm yourself if you do not not protect your skin from UV rays.  Remember, there are UV rays everywhere and they can bounce from the pavement to pretty little you sitting under your umbrella thinking you’re all protected.

Did you know that a two hour shopping spree in a store like Walmart with fluorescent lights everywhere is equivalent to a full hour in the sun?  Sure you won’t get sunburnt but you are still exposed to those UV rays!

Besides CANCER - UV rays and sun damage can also wreak havoc on your skin.  A ten dollar bottle of sunscreen now will save you hundreds in laser treatments later on in life.  I say this because people often don’t care that they could get cancer – they figure meh that will be when I’m old and gray, but I’d rather look tan and hot now!  Aargh.

To be properly covered from the sun you HAVE to cover your skin with enough sun screen (think frosting on a cupcake) and make sure that you REAPPLY every 2-3 hours.  The amount of sunscreen you should be applying (everywhere – including your neck, backs of ears, hands, face etc) is quite simple if you think of yourself as a cake and the sunscreen as frosting - - a nice thick layer of sunscreen.  That does NOT mean a quarter sized amount for one arm.  Don’t cheap out – layer it on.  If you have a moisturizer that has sun screen of SPF 15 that’s great, but still make sure that you wear a sunscreen with a higher spf AS WELL as your moisturizer.

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The sun can damage your skin in many ways:

1. Sun spots, freckles and brown spots

2. Uneven skin colour

3. Freckles

4. Age Spots

5. Rosacea

6. Wrinkles

7. Broken capillaries

8. Enlarged pore size

9. Sagging skin

This is not pretty:

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Ok dammit it is but this look can be achieved through spray tanning or instant bronzers that are available in cans – not tanning beds.  THIS is not pretty:

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Do you really want your boobs and neck to look like this?

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Squamous cell carcinoma – a skin cancer:

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This is a cutaneous horn.  Yes that’s right, a horn growing out of the side of your friggin face.  It’s not pretty.  It’s not cancer but it can also lead to cancer.

cutaneous-horn  It’s from a condition called Actinic Keratosis and is most common in people with:

  • Fair skin.
  • Hair color is naturally blond or red.
  • Eyes are naturally blue, green, or hazel.
  • Skin freckles or burns when in the sun. 

Lifted straight off a website:

What causes AKs?

Ultraviolet (UV) rays cause AKs. Most people get exposed to UV rays from being outside during the day or using tanning beds. You can prevent AKs by protecting your skin from the sun and never using tanning beds or sun lamps.