Why I nag my family, friends, and clients about the sun-

Yes…I nag them. Sometimes you just have to! But here is why I nag them about baking in the sun and tanning beds. I get that everyone loves the sun—I even love the sun believe it or not! I am not perfect about protecting myself either!  These last few weeks I have come across a lot of people rolling their eyes and saying yes, yes you have told me this before :) Being smart about the sun is the key to being healthy and safe.

I will start with my superficial side (I mean I am an esthetician). IT GIVES YOUR WRINKLES! And sun spots! The sun is the number one aging factor. So yes, part of me just wants us all to look good forever and delay or slow down the aging process by being sun cautious. 

I mean who wants to look like this!? ;)

Now lets get to the main reason. Skin cancer. Its not to be taken lightly. Estimated for 2014 there are 76,100 new cases of melanoma and 9,710 deaths from melanoma. That is 9,710 families grieving a family member just in 2014. Last weekend my sister and I volunteered at the melanoma walk. As we were standing there helping people stay on the right path a family was walking toward us with a few young kids. One of them was crying so as mom/aunt we gave them the warm been-there-i-get-it smile assuming she was just tired of walking so long. It turned out to be much more than that. They stopped by us and the mom asked what was going on. The dad replied that she misses grandpa and doing the walk brought back a lot of emotions. The grandma with them then said here honey do you want to wear grandpas hat? He would be so proud of you for supporting this. It brought us both to tears that these kids grandpa is gone too soon because of Melanoma. Skin cancer is no joke. That same week I had a friend who is a skin cancer survivor tell me about finding a spot on her that brought her to tears after finding out everything was ok. It really is no joke.  I am not an expert about melanoma by any means but I do have some tips that can help keep you safe from the sun!

Here are a few tips to stay safe in the sun this summer—

- Get a good physical block sunscreen. Physical block sunscreen containing Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide is the best protection from the sun! There are 17 individual sunscreen ingredients that are FDA approved: 15 of these are clear chemicals that absorb UV light and two are made of minerals that reflect UV light. Of these 15, nine are known endocrine disruptors. To be effective, chemical sunscreens need to be rubbed into their skin 20 minutes before sun exposure. They do a pretty good job at blocking UV light, but they actually get used up as the sun shines on them. In fact Some sunscreens lose as much as 90% of their effectiveness in just an hour, so they need to be reapplied often. This is not the case with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the two mineral, or physical, sunscreens. These two work very differently – they sit on the surface of the skin and physically block UV light.

- Stay out of direct sunlight during peak hours (10 AM- 4 PM) or take shade breaks. This is one that people always look at me like I am crazy. I don’t mean not to leave your house between those hours! Those are the hours that the sun is hottest and most harmful. If you are out during these hours take breaks or switch off between and little time in the sun and some time in the shade!

- Wear a hat and protective clothing. This is a great way to be out enjoying the weather with a little more protection. Take a look at your clothing though. Some items say UV protective on them but some clothing is not! Espically light fabrics. Same goes for the hats. A big sun hat is great (love that they are in style for beachwear!) but some straw hats or woven hats with small holes still let the sunlight in.  Also, sunglasses that are UVA/UVB protective are a must!

- Reapply, reapply, reapply, your SPF. Especially if you are swimming.

That friends, family, and clients is why I remind you ten times to wear a good spf and take shade breaks. I love the sun as much as you do but not more than I love you! 

You can't stop aging but you can slow it down

Did you know that there is a difference between how many years you have been alive (chronological age) and your biological age?  Biological age is the measure of the rate of aging in the cells of tissues and organs. How old you are doesn't necessarily reflect the amount of wear and tear on your body or its overall health. In fact by the time you are thirty, how old you are is more correctly measured by health of the system rather than number of years.This is very true when it comes to the look of your skin too. One person might be 25 and starting to get wrinkles while the next may be 55 and not have and wrinkles yet! Here are a few premature aging causes-

Sun exposure

Illness

Lack of rest

Stress

Over-treatment with skin care products

Sudden weight loss/gain

Menopause

Genetic factors

Free-radical damage

Malnutrition

Grief

Medication

Excessive alcohol intake

Harsh climate conditions

Dietary deficiencies

The things listed above then cause these physical changes in your face- degeneration of connective tissues, slowing of the keritinization process (cell turnover rate), and reduction in circulation just to name a few.

How do we reverse this premature aging?

One factor to slow the aging process and age gracefully is the amount of vital life force, known as chi, in you. Chi is what gives a person that positive energy and joy of living. You know that person you meet and think wow she is glowing and just has great energy! We all know a few and we cant help but want to be more like them. Well chi is the answer. The woman in her 60’s with a vibrant chi force can radiate youthfulness more than the 20-30 something with depleted chi. How do you get that energy and glow called chi? ACUPUNCTURE is your answer. It is a great way to build and balance your chi. Not only general body acupuncture but facial acupuncture too! But that’s a whole other post in itself! (coming soon) Getting to an acupuncturist and getting regular treatments to build and balance energy will help your aging process tremendously! 

 You also need to seek out an esthetician who you would like to build a relationship with and see every 3-4 weeks. The circulation of massage included in facials helps to tone muscles and bring blood flow back to the skin. You might also receive some alternative treatments such as peels, special masks, MLD for reducing inflammation and for detoxification, Accutonics, or essential oils. Peels are a great option when seeing an esthetician. Glycolic peels will break down the dead skin cells resulting in smoother, more radiant skin. It will also help moisturize the skin as well as reduce hyper pigmentation and fine lines.

There are also diet, lifestyle, and supplement changes you can make at home starting today to slow the aging process- 

Regular exercise

A diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean protein

Drinking ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily

Drinking detox teas

Green smoothies

Yoga or meditation

Flax seed oil

Using sunscreen daily

Following the at home skin care regime from your esthetician 

So if you are starting to see signs of aging it is defiantly not too late to go back! And it is also not time to do anything drastic. Making these fairly simple lifestyle changes can be your difference between the left and right side of the face in this picture!