Are you already panicking about how to stave off sun damage this summer? We feel you and we’re here for you. If you keep up with our Beauty Blog on the reg (or have had any treatments with our NuAGE Experts), you already know the importance of wearing your sun protection every single day, rain or shine, July or December. You would also know that a good sunscreen is your #1 anti-aging skin care product you can keep in your arsenal. But how do you know what sunscreen is best for your face?

The answer is in your skin.

Let’s talk spots. If you’ve read our blog on hyperpigmentation, you might already be familiar with Melanin – the building block of the skin. Melanin is found throughout the body and is responsible for the colour of our hair, eyes and skin. This pigment is made by special cells called melanocytes, which are mostly found in the outermost layer of our skin. Once melanin is produced, it spreads out far and wide for an even distribution that makes up the colour of our skin. Based on your ethnicity and unique genetic mix, your body comes with a “pre-set” melanin level. It’s believed that a million odd years ago early humans began to evolve to have darker skin colours as a way to adapt to the loss of body hair, which in turn increased the effects of UV radiation. Eventually we were left with the beautiful range of skin colour we know today.

In the skincare industry, we identify this range of skin tone using the Fitzpatrick Scale as a classification system which measures both genetic disposition and reaction to sun exposure. Fitz types range from very fair (Type I) to very dark (Type VI).

Natural protection has a type: How to know the SPF that’s right for you.

Since our body uses melanin as a way to protect us against the sun, your skin type can influence your ‘best’ level of sun protection or SPF to keep you protected.

• Light skin types (1-3) should wear sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30
• Darker skin types (4-6) can get away with a SPF 15

Now you may be thinking to yourself: “SPF 15?! I wouldn’t leave the house without an SPF 8,000+!” and while we applaud you for taking sun protection so seriously, you can rest assured that the difference between a sunscreen with SPF 15 to one with SPF 50 is actually only about a 5% difference. Fun fact: SPF 30 will block up to 97% of UVB rays responsible for burns.

If you’re still not convinced that your SPF 6,000+ isn’t entirely necessary, it’s been discovered that some high SPF sunscreens may only be protecting you from UVB rays and leaving you unknowingly vulnerable to the damaging photoaging UVA rays. And as if our tech habits weren’t already bad enough with computers, tablets and phone screens constantly being in our faces, all of these devices emit something called High Energy Visible or HEV light. HEV light has been shown to damage the skin by causing premature aging and is thought to be as harmful as the damage caused by UVA and UVB light combined. Remember earlier when we said sunscreen is your #1 anti-aging skin care product? We weren’t kidding.

Cult Classics

If you asked us to pick favourites, it would be a tough call and mulled over for far too long (we’re skincare nerds, what can we say), BUT by far our top 2 best sellers are the Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30 and the Oclipse Daily Sheer SPF 50. Here’s the scoop on them both:

Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30

This silky matte sunscreen is like no other you’ve tried before. Tired of the telling white-cast of sunscreen? Sick of it ruining your makeup? Not today, sunscreen. Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer is truly a game changer.

Highlight reel:

• Exclusive 12 hour time release antioxidant complex protects against photodamage
• Provides daily multi-defense protection from UVA, UVB and HEV light
• Helps to smooth the skin and diminish the appearance of fine lines and pores

Oclipse Daily Sheer SPF 50

Looking for a non-greasy, quick drying sunscreen with a sheer/matte finish? Want protection from UVA, UVB, IR-A and HEV light? Look no further than Oclipse Daily Sheer.

Highlight reel:

• Protects against UVA, UVB, HEV and IR-A rays for truly broad-spectrum protection
• Water- and perspiration-resistant for up to 80 minutes
• Hydrates the skin while it protects to prevent dryness and irritation

Preventative measures: Sun-safe pigmentation options

Usually we’re bouncing floor to ceiling with all of the treatment options for your hyperpigmentation, but in the warmer months our options can be limited. In addition to your sunscreen, we have two more summer staples for keeping pigmentation away: Brightalive & C-Bright. Since we love making things as easy as possible, we love that ZO offers a ready-made kit with both of these products in the Skin Brightening System.

Ossential Brightalive Non-Retinol Skin Brightener

A revolutionary skin brightener that uses technologically advanced, multi-action complexes to treat hyperpigmentation and sun damage without the use of retinol and hydroquinone

BENEFITS

• Targets the many stages that cause hyperpigmentation
• Helps brighten and even the skin tone
• Helps prevent future damage and repair existing damage with DNA repair complex
• Breaks up existing pigmentation

Ossential C-Bright Serum 10% Vitamin C

Provides a potent, pure dose of vitamin C that is stabilized to brighten and re-texturize the skin

BENEFITS

• Helps remove surface discolouration
• Helps prevent new pigmentation from forming
• Powerful antioxidants help defend against environmental triggers that cause pigmentation
• Helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Squalane mimics our body’s own natural moisturizer factor for additional hydration

Need to see it to believe it? Book your complimentary consultation to see and feel all of the products you need to stay spotless this summer.