Skin Care
The SUN: Friend Or Foe?
By Genesis Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Jun 17, 2003, 19:03

Keywords: sunscreen products, photo aging, tanning salon, sun tan

Research now shows that when it comes to our skin, acquiring the so-called healthy glow of a suntan isn't good for us. And a tan acquired at an indoor tanning salon is no better, no safer. The fact is the sun is not our friend.

In order to protect our faces and our bodies from photoaging caused by the sun and the possibility of skin cancer, we need to protect ourselves from the sun's harmful rays.

Sunlight is a mixture of two different kinds of ultraviolet light, which can damage the skin, damage that may not show up for years and years...

• UVA is the long wavelength ultraviolet light. UVA rays penetrate the skin quite deeply and cause the skin damage that leads to wrinkles.
• UVB is the mid-wavelength ultraviolet light. UVB rays don't penetrate deeply, but they are responsible for sunburns and cause the damage that can lead to skin cancer.

Protecting Your Skin
There are many ways to protect yourself from the sun.

Wear protective clothing. Your see-through beach cover-up, however, doesn't count when it comes to the sun. If you can see through it, the sun can get through it. Make sure your cover-up is tightly woven, if you want it to protect you from the sun. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and protect your eyes with sunglasses, as well.

Avoid the sun at its strongest. The sun's rays are strongest, between 10 am and 4 pm. Plan your golf, tennis, boating, seashell hunting and other activities during the times when the sun is weaker.

Use sunscreen. Choose sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. It's best to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go into the sun. So apply your first coat at home and you won't have to spend 10 minutes at the beach, tennis court or golf course smoothing it on. Reapply sunscreen every two hours.

Use everyday products that contain sunscreen. You'll always be protected if your moisturizer, foundation makeup and lipstick have a sunscreen, even when you're walking the dog at noon for 10 minutes.

Don't be fooled by the sun. The sun can burn you just as quickly on a cloudy day. Wear your sunscreen and your protective clothing even when you can't see the sun. You'll see the damage years later.

Find out more about these products from Genesis Pharmaceutical to get the protection you need, and ask your doctor for them...

Glytone Sunblock SPF 20

WellSkin Advanced Sunscreen SPF 25

Essential Care Oil-free Sunscreen Gel SPF 17

Essential Care Facial Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 20

In addition, these everyday Genesis products also contain sunscreens...
WellSkin Facial Cream SPF 15

WellSkin Facial Lotion SPF 15

WellSkin Hand Cream SPF 15

WellSkin Body Lotion SPF 15

Taking Care of the Damage
If your skin is already showing the affects of sun damage, it's not too late to do something about it.

Begin immediately to follow all the steps to protect your skin from the sun.

Learn more about what the Glytone Skin Rejuvenation System and WellSkin Skin Care Products containing glycolic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid) can do to reduce the signs of sun damage and give you more beautiful looking skin.

Ask your dermatologist about the professional treatments and products from Genesis, or you can locate a physician online.

This article is taken from Genesis Pharmaceutical Website, used with permission.