In a couple of months, summer will be here and there will be plenty of sunshine for everyone. I'm all for getting my daily dose of Vitamin D, but I'm always cautious of preventing sun spots from appearing on my face. Because of my genetic make up, I've never really had a problem with the sun or getting really awful sunburns, but one summer I had a really horrible experience with sunspots and uneven tone on my face. Not only did it peel and interfere with my makeup routine, it was just unpleasant to deal with. From then on, I made sure to try my best in preventing them as much as possible.
But how do sunspots happen exactly? Dermatologist Cynthia Bailey, M.D., explained, "Sunspots on skin are a focal increase of skin pigment called melanin; because of UV exposure, the pigment-making cells, called melanocytes, produced excess pigment in just one spot instead of uniformly across your skin surface." It's basically a way of your skin defending itself from UV rays and reacting from it.
And what does this mean exactly? Well, although they are mostly considered harmless, there more of a nuisance to deal with. Because, "when your skin makes too much melanin in one area — or when it's forced to make too much melanin over time — it can create lasting speckles and spots" according to How Stuff Works. Having permanent speckles are not something that's fun to do deal with, well at least for me it isn't.
So if you want to try and avoid the sun spots from damaging your skin when the seasons start to change, you can try these options to help you out:
1. Use A Lot Of SPF
Lancer Sheer Fluid Sun Shield SPF 30, $55, Nordstrom
The best thing that you can do for your skin is to wear SPF every day. Protecting your face from the UV rays are essential in making sure you avoid sun spots and harmful overexposure from the sun. When you wear SPF, you're adding a layer of protection to help keep the sunspots away. The UCSF School of Medicine "recommend[s] sunblocks with SPF of at least 30 with frequent reapplication."
2. Wear SPF Makeup Products
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $44, Nordstrom
This is extremely important for me. I'm pretty much loyal to my tinted moisturizer that has SPF in it. It definitely takes care of both preventing skin damage and hiding blemishes from your skin. It's the ultimate double duty product. There are also a lot of moisturizers and lip balms with SPF in them as well. So do your homework and find the best products that work for you.
3. Limit Your Time In The Sun
Although it's always fun to spend time in the sun and have an amazing beach day, you should be cautious in knowing when too much is too much. Try to limit your time outside in the rays because overexposure can be a real thing. When I got sunspots on my face that one summer it definitely happened after having too long of a tanning day.
4. Wear Shades In The Sun
Yes, putting those sunglasses on can help protect your eye and skin around your eye. It can help keep the UV rays from harming your skin and affecting that very sensitive area on your face.
5. Have A Rich Antioxidant Diet
According to the American Chronicle, How Stuff Works also explained, "you have a variety of natural ways to reduce the appearance of sun damage on your skin. To start, you can eat a flavanoid-rich diet, which may also help reduce your risk of cancer. Flavanoids are powerful antioxidants found in a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains; they also exist in tea and in soy-based foods." So make sure you're getting the right nutrition for your body.
6. Use Aloe Vera
Fruit Of The Earth Aloe Vera Gel Tube, $6, Amazon
Aloe Vera can also help keep your skin in great condition and can actually help even out your sunspots if you already have them. I always like to use aloe vera for a multitude of reasons. Preventing and getting rid of sunspots are definitely one of them.
7. Ask Your Dermatologist
If anything, it's always great to set up an appointment with your dermatologist. Although everyone's skin may be different, your dermatologist will be able to determine what practices are best for you. And if you have any spots that you may think look a little suspicious, it's best to talk to your doctor about it.
Images: Pixabay (3)
