Anti-Aging Starts With Sunscreen

Any anti-aging skincare routine must include the daily application of a broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater. It is the best anti-wrinkle, anti-dark spot, and anti-sagging product you should use every day, even if the sun isn’t shining.

The best sunscreens also include a potent, effective array of antioxidants, skin-restoring ingredients, and hydrating ingredients appropriate for your skin type. That way, you only need a single morning moisturizer, not two. At Paula’s Choice Skincare, we consider sunscreen to be the most important part of one’s daily skincare routine. As such, we have formulated many sunscreens for the face loaded with extra beneficial ingredients, so you can choose the best one for your skin type.

Understanding the Importance of Sunscreen

The best anti-aging skincare routines include perfectly formulated facial cleansers, toners, exfoliants, face serums, eye creams and face moisturizers. These are all vitally important for younger, healthy-looking skin, but none of these products replaces the need for daily sun protection. The benefits these products provide just won’t work the way you want without sun protection. Therefore, don’t forget to apply sunscreen daily, or your skin will suffer the consequences.

Sunscreen is needed every day of the year. This is because the sun isn’t just damaging your skin when the sky is clear. The UV light emitted by the sun steadily and silently hammers away at skin year-round, whether it’s cloudy or raining. Leaving your skin unprotected against this assault results in all the signs of aging you want to avoid, and you won’t feel the damage taking place.

What if you already have wrinkles and brown spots from years of unprotected sun exposure? Research has shown that it’s never too late to start protecting your skin. In fact, people with sun-damaged skin who started using a broad-spectrum sunscreen later in life saw a noticeable reduction in every visible sign of aging.

No matter your age, using sunscreen daily is the foundation of a brilliant anti-aging skincare routine.

Sunscreen Tips You Must Remember

Now you are ready to add sunscreen to your daily skincare routine. A key factor is to find one that you love and will look forward to applying, and that takes experimentation. Here are some tips on how to find the best sunscreen for your face, and how and when to apply it:

• Any sunscreen you choose should be labelled broad-spectrum. This means it will protect the skin from the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are present all day long, year-round, and, unlike UVB rays that cause sunburn, you don’t feel UVA damaging your skin.
• If you think you don’t need sunscreen because you spend most days indoors, UVA rays can penetrate windows and harm your skin even if you’re in your home, car, or office. Sun damage begins the first minute your skin sees daylight, even if it’s cloudy outside.
• You should only purchase sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater. That is the minimum rating recommended by most dermatologists and medical boards worldwide.
• Apply sunscreen liberally to the face, neck, and chest area, if it will be exposed to daylight. Spread a layer and then massage it into the skin. Allow a few minutes for it to absorb before applying makeup.
• For the face, you don’t need to use a “beach” sunscreen; instead, look for a facial moisturizer with built-in sun protection, which provides hydration and a mix of beneficial anti-aging ingredients.
• Choose a facial moisturizer with sunscreen based on your skin type. If you have dry skin, look for a cream-based sunscreen. For oily skin, look for a gel or fluid sunscreen and for combination skin, use a gel or lotion sunscreen.
• Antioxidants are a sunscreen’s perfect partner. They work with the sunscreen ingredients to further defend skin from environmental assault. Superstar antioxidants to look for in sunscreens include various forms of Vitamins C and E, green tea, soy, grape, and pomegranate, among others.
• Sunscreen is always the last skincare product you should apply during your morning routine. Applying other skincare products over sunscreen will dilute its effectiveness.
• Layering sunscreen is the best way to ensure you get the best protection possible. As an example, apply a facial moisturizer with sunscreen, follow with a primer with sunscreen, and finish with a foundation and/or pressed powder that provides additional sun protection.

Shop now from our collection of sunscreens and check out other anti-aging facial serums.

Learn more about anti-aging & wrinkle skincare solutions.

References for this information

• Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, February 2017, ePublication
• Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology, April 2016, pages 95-105
• Annals of Internal Medicine, June 2013, pages 781-790
• International Journal of Molecular Sciences, June 2013, pages 12,222-12,248
• Dermatoendocrinology, July 2012, pages 308-319
• Experimental Dermatology, June 2011, pages 477-482
• Photochemistry and Photobiology, March-April 2011, pages 452-456