Photo: Thoban Jappie
It’s no secret that I love the sun and come summer, you’ll often find me on the beach or poolside catching some rays. After all, Vitamin D is good for you – just as long as you don’t overdo it.
Being in the beauty industry, I’m well aware of the dangers of too much UV exposure (wrinkles, pigmentation, skin cancer, heat stroke), so I always ensure I protect my skin with the very best sunscreen, preferably SPF50.
I always have a giggle to myself when friends say they prefer a lower SPF as it helps them achieve a better tan. Whether you use an SPF 10 or 50 – the protection is the same – the number on the SPF relates to the amount of time you can spend in the sun without burning. And, just for the record, you do tan with an SPF – you just won’t burn (as long as you reapply when necessary – experts advise every two hours or after swimming).
Here’s how SPF works:
Say it takes around 10 minutes in full sun for you to tan/burn without SPF. A SPF 50 would give you 50 times the protection of no sunscreen. Basically, this means it would take 50 times longer before you start to burn, or in this case, 500 minutes. However, you do need to reapply during the day as swimming, towel drying and sweating removes the sunscreen. If I’m spending a day at the beach or poolside, I’ll reapply my sunscreen 3 times (or the minute I feel my skin starting to burn) during the day, to ensure I don’t burn.
When it comes to my face, I’m proper militant about protection (SPF everyday and sunnies and a hat when I’m outdoors), as I know how ageing the sun can be.
One of my absolute favourite sunscreens for the face is the QMS Medi Cosmetics Cellular Sun Protections, R930. Yes, I know it’s expensive, but there are three beauty items I’ll spend good money on, namely a serum, enzymatic exfoliator and a good sunscreen for the face.
I love how lightweight the formula is and that is has a DNA-Repair complex that provides protection against sunburn and premature light-induced aging.
The DNA-repair complex contains Endonuclease, the skin’s own DNA restorative enzyme which, once it reaches sun-stressed cells, activates its repair mechanisms to counteract developing skin damage. In addition, it also strengthens the skin’s immune system, slowing down the ageing process. And if all this wasn’t enough, Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant protects against free radicals while Shea butter nourishes the skin. Because of its lovely, light texture, it makes a great everyday sunscreen too.
For more on !QMSMEDICOSMETICS, visit their website www.qmsmedicosmetics.co.za or follow them on Facebook HERE
GIVEAWAY
I’ve got one QMS Cellular Sun Protection SPF 50, valued at R930 to giveaway. To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you’d like to win this sunscreen. Please ensure you also leave an email address (only I’ll be able to see it) so I can contact you, should you be the lucky lady. The winner will be notified by email next week Thursday (21 Jan)
