The first thing to tell you is that you need to avoid getting sun damage, which doesn’t only happen at the beach, or on sunny days. In fact, even prolonged periods in your car on overcast Summer days can cause significant sun damage.
I recommend applying sunscreen protection of SPF 25 or higher to your face, arms, neck and hands approximately a half hour before you go in a car or outdoors, to effectively reduce exposure to the sun’s damaging rays. If you go swimming or need to towel off due to perspiration, you should reapply SPF 30 every 2 hours, especially between 10am-3pm. Make sure your sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays. You should also protect your skin with clothing, including a wide brim hat or cap to protect your face, head, ears and neck. An umbrella also can provide shade for prolonged periods, such as at amusement parks.
There simply is no safe way to tan outdoors or in tanning beds. Every time you tan, you damage your skin, speed up the aging of your skin, and increase risk for all types of skin cancer. The only safe way to tan is by applying self-tanning lotions and cosmetics, such as various professional products that we can demonstrate in my office.
If you already have sun-damaged skin, we offer a free Visia skin analysis, and can customize our recommendations for Renuvion, HydraFacials, laser treatments, chemical peels (including my revolutionary new Concord Peel) and other products. Please contact my office so we can discuss your options.
