By now, you definitely know that when it comes to your skin; the sun is totally evil. Age-spots, premature aging, and really deadly issues like skin cancer have most people on the take-care-of-your-skin bandwagon.
But.
For those of you who aren?t careful about sun exposure yet, here are just a few facts that will hopefully help you reconsider (and get you reaching for some sunscreen, stat!)
Indoor Tanning
Come on. You know indoor tanning is terrible for you, but in case you needed more proof: according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) there is a 59% increase in melanoma risk for those who go indoor tanning — and the risk increases with each tanning-bed use.
An even scarier stat? On an average day in the U.S., more than 1 million people still go to a tanning salon! How can so many people in 2016 still voluntarily pay to increase their risk of melanoma?!
Age of Exposure
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 90% of skin-aging signs are caused by the sun!
And you know that popular statistic about most of your sun-damage occurring before age 18? The foundation says that?s false. (Whew!) Instead, only about 23% of lifetime damage occurs by age 18 — so it?s never too late to make a difference now in how your skin will age after your teen years.
Sunscreen Efficacy
Even if you are completely diligent about applying sunscreen 365-days a year, the AAD says you’re still not doing enough.
First, you need to make sure your sunscreen has these 3 KEY attributes:
In addition, they recommend further protective-actions like reapplying your sunscreen every two-hours, wearing protective clothing (like a hat or long-sleeved shirt), seeking shade between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and taking extra-caution when you are near water, snow or sand. (Those surfaces reflect the sun’s rays and increase the chance of you getting burned.)
