I have always tanned easily and as most women my age, rarely thought about sunscreen until I hit my 40's, the time when most of us begin to experience a change in tone and texture in our skin and see signs of hyperpigmentation.
Over the last 5 years I have been very diligent about wearing a facial sunscreen with at least 30 SPF daily as well as a waterproof/sweat proof SPF 30 anytime I am going to be outside. Given that I have a major addiction to tennis, I am on the courts at least 3 times a week and am finding it impossible to avoid sun exposure and the dreaded tennis tan.
Today I had a singles tennis match that lasted just shy of 3 hours. Prior to the match I applied sunscreen, reapplied twice between sets however I still managed to acquire tennis tan, including a lovely set of raccoon eyes, as a result of wearing my sunglasses. (sunscreens used today: Erno Laszlo Blue Firmarine SPF 30 to my face and Neutrogena Wet Skin SPF 30)
I decided to do a little investigating to determine how I had gotten so much sun in such a short period of time even though I was very diligent about sunscreen. I contacted the Sun Safety Alliance for advice and realized that although it was mostly cloudy with only momentary bouts of sunshine, the UV index here was a 10 (on a scale of 1 -10) which means that a sunburn can occur in 10 minutes or less and a minimum of SPF 45 is recommended. The SSA recommends checking the local UV level prior to heading outside via the EPA's UV look up website located here: EPA UV Look up Site
I hope this information is helpful and everyone that reads my blog whether they are 15 or 50 will take a moment to protect their skin and prevent the damaging (and aging) rays of the sun to ensure a long, healthy life with beautiful skin
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