skin health

As Eucerin Skin First Ambassador, this month will focus on balancing exposure to the sun. All of us needs to be aware of the damaging effects too much sun exposure can cause to our skin. In fact, up to 80 percent of our lifetime, sun exposure is reached by the age of 20. But as we get older, our ability to repair the damage caused by sun exposure decreases. We have to take additional steps to properly maintain our skin health as it becomes increasingly easier for it to burn, wrinkle or even worse, develop cancers.

Like all aspects of our health though, we can still achieve a balance between the sun’s risks and benefits. So, we are dedicating this month’s update to ways we can both offset the damaging effects of the sun and enhance skin health – a regular skincare routine can lead to more than just cosmetic benefits.

Balancing Exposure to the Sun

While basking in the sun can feel replenishing and bring us a sense of both mental and physical renewal, the amount of vitamin D our bodies need on a daily basis can absorbed in just the first 15 minutes of our exposure to the sun. Understanding the factors affecting our skin’s reaction to the sun can help us plan our time in the sun.

• Factor #1 – Sunlight
  • The strength of sunlight is the main factor for the quantity of UV radiation your skin can be exposed to. Latitude, altitude, time of day, season and cloud coverage can all have a dramatic effect on the sun’s impact on our skin. Even reflected sunlight from windows, pavement, water, snow and sand can raise the risk of overexposure.ⁱ
• Factor #2 – Skin Color
  • As skin color is determined by the amount of melanin present in the skin, ethnicity can also play a large role in sun exposure. Often a result of a group’s distance from the equator (and its stronger sunlight), darker skins are more resistant to the effects of sunlight than fairer skins. African-Americans, for example, are 20 times less likely to develop melanoma than those with white skin. Conversely, one study found that African-American women aged 15 to 49 have more than 20 times the risk of vitamin D deficiency than Caucasians. Different skin colors will react to UV rays at different speeds. So one should be mindful of her skin’s susceptibilities when considering her exposure time or adding protection.
• FACTOR #3 – Sunscreen
  • The strength of sunscreen is determined by its Sun Protection Factor (SPF), a number that measures the amount of UV radiation required to sunburn with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount that would burn skin without it. For example, SPF-15 allows about 1/15 (about 6%) of the UV rays that would penetrate the skin without the sunscreen on. SPF-30 would allow 1/30 (about 3%) and so on.

Use August to Renew Our Collective Commitment to Healthy Skin

With the end of summer soon approaching, now is the time to look for ways to enrich your whole self- mentally and physically.

Eucerin wants to help! Taking the Skin FIRST pledge is the first step. Even if you’ve already taken it, you can do it again and tell your friends about the Skin FIRST movement by having them take the pledge with you through our Facebook application. Visit http://facebook.com/eucerinus today and take the pledge to put the health of your skin FIRST.

GIVEAWAY- Win a Eucerin Gift Bag!

Two lucky readers will have the chance to win a Eucerin gift bag that includes:

• a $50 Sunglass Hut Gift Card
• Eucerin Everyday Protection Lotion in SPF 15 and 30

Pretty sweet huh! To enter: Take the SkinFirst Pledge (if you have already taken the pledge, write in comment section) and fill out form below. Rules & Regulations under details tab.

BONUS ENTRIES- Want to increase your chances?

• Follow “hotbeautyhealth” on Twitter
• Follow “Eucerin” on Twitter
• Like “hotbeautyhealth” on Facebook
• Like “EucerinUs” on Facebook
• Subscribe to Hot Beauty Health
• RT this giveaway “@hotbeautyhealth“

CONTEST ENDS TUESDAY, AUGUST 31st @ MIDNIGHT PT

Disclosure: Products were supplied to me by Eucerin and no compensation was given for this post. Read my About Us page for Disclosure Policy.

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