Today on the blog we are chatting sunscreen, for men. Its really the same as sunscreen for women, except that for it to work for both men and women, you have to A) use it B) follow a few tips for use and C) know the truth
Ready? Here we go. And yes, we will be stopping for some directions/guidance along the way.
Gentlemen, if you have skin, and you are leaving the house, you need to budget a few moments to apply a sunscreen 30 MINUTES PRIOR to leaving your house to conquer your day/your to do list/the world/(fill in the blank). This will allow the sunscreen to activate and be effective, and its full protection when you lock the front door. If you are outside for the day, whether you are a door to door salesman, or you have the day off and are spending it at the beach (maybe Jericho or English Bay if you are local to VanCity like us) then that means you will be reapplying every 2 hours. (No, you were not off the hook with your morning application)
In that morning man beauty routine that we know that you have, you are now adding in daily use of sunscreen. The next step is for you to be aware and to proceed with caution when applying your scent of choice for the day ahead. While todays post is really about sunscreen, we are here to help, and we are going on a brief detour, read on and you will see why (and end up with some great tips along the way).
When applying your cologne, the pulse points are a great choice. Pulse points create body heat and will add a lot to your cologne (that by the way should be sprayed from a few inches away) Think wrists and behind the ears. The chest is a nice location as well. If your cologne ends up on your shirt, we will call that scented icing on the cake for you, and for anyone coming in for a hug.
Easy Peasy. A couple of chosen application spots. Keep it simple with a minimal dose of cologne, therefore keeping it subtle. Here we take our detour back to your skin, and protecting it. Keep your cologne off of your neck. Yes, you read that right.
Cologne on the neck is a big no no. Don’t think it’s a big deal? Read on. The rays from the sun will interact with your cologne and cause skin discolouration. Almost like a chemical burn to the skin.
While there may be many things caused by sun exposure, and a lack of commitment to sunscreen, Poiklioderma (from Wikipedia) “is a skin condition that consists of areas of hypo pigmentation, hyper pigmentation, telangiectasias and atrophy.” Think, all kinds of colour damage, both light and dark. While one cause is not known, sun exposure is agreed to be the largest cause. While it brings no risk to your health, it is certainly an unnecessary addition to your skin, and very easily preventable.
So as the sun shines brighter on the west coast, and summer approaches, there are a few things to keep in mind, take notes, there will be a test.
- Remember that the sun will age you more then ageing will age you
- Applying sunscreen once, whether first thing in the morning or not, is a sunscreen mistake. Reapplying is key to your skins safety, beauty and health
- Spfs are not math. An spf15 plus an spf15 do not equal an spf30
While there are many quality sunscreens on the market today, the 2 things we want you to walk away with are to apply a sunscreen 30 minutes prior to exposure to the sun, and to make it at least an spf30.
Happy Sunscreening! And if you have not been following these rules up to now, our staff is here to help with both at home product use for care and protection of your skin, as well as in office repairs. Think of it like a body shop, for your skin!
~DLC