Health & Fitness
Forever Young (and pretty)
The sun hasn't arrived yet, but when it does make sure you're equipped with the proper sunscreen to protect your skin.
As a woman of color who I could easily spend the rest of my life basking in the sun, but I have only recently started to wear sunblock (TERRIBLE!)
This winter, I experienced a major reality check on a trip to sunny Puerto Rico with my girlfriend, two brown Washington girls on a mission to receive what we believe to be the best medicine on earth, the sun. After being sunblock-free for maybe an hour, we were found peeling off layers of skin after skipping out on a simple application of sunscreen I will never forget the scorching feeling of pain in my decolletes. It literally burned!
At the age of 26, I’m still fairly young and am taking into account the effects this could have on my skin. Sunspots, wrinkles, and hyper-pigmentation are all common effects caused by the sun. Hyper-pigmentation is especially common in women of color, a discoloration or uneven appearance of the skin due to environmental damage. While darker skin typically does not tend to “burn,” (Puerto Rico was my first) we must not be fooled by the undercover danger and the long-term damage we are potentially causing ourselves. Because we have more melanin in our skin, we are actually at HIGHER risk for skin cancer, because we do not notice it right away. Again, I’m no doctor, just passing on this very valuable information (thank you Sephora) and my own (horror) story.
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A lot of sunscreens on the market contain titanium dioxide that may appear purple or blue-ish when applied to brown skin. No woman wants to look purple, but we also don’t want to damage our precious skin. Fear not, I have found a few that I actually like and apply colorless. For the face, many tinted moisturizers contain an SPF of at least 15, Laura Mercier’s is 20 and lightweight, perfect for sun or humidity. If you are a bare-faced girl in the sun like me, try Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 30, $9.99. For body, I like Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunblock SPF 30, $9.99. They are all lightweight and easy to travel with. Make sure to apply throughout the day if you are out all day. Protect yourselves and stay pretty!