SPF is super important, yes, but there are other things we can do to minimize our sun exposure and keep our skin healthy for the long haul.
I will preach about wearing SPF every single day, 365 days a year, till the day I die. It is the most important 'anti-aging' product in your cabinet. 90% of premature aging is caused by sun exposure - but I consider this a good thing (!!) because this means that 90% of premature aging is controllable! So we wear our SPF, preferably mineral (zinc being my #1 dude), and we wear a thick coating of it every single day, rain or shine, inside or outside.
But along with SPF, you can practice some other important things to help lessen your exposure overall:
Do your outdoor tasks (gardening, walks, etc.) in the morning before the sun is at its highest point, or in the evening once the sun has set. This will protect you from the harshest rays which are present in the middle of the day.
Get UV protective window tint on your car - providing it is legal to tint windows in your state, this is one that I highly recommend! We get so much sun exposure in our cars, so why not add a layer of UV protection to the windows to lessen this exposure?
Sunglasses! I keep a pair of sunglasses in my house, in my bag, and in my car, so that I am never without a pair. It's important to protect your eyes from the sun, because just like our skin becomes damaged over time, so do our eyes. So keep your cute glasses within reach!
Find a cute hat, and wear it everywhere! I got one at Target for $17 and I literally wear it everywhere. Shade + SPF is the holy grail for protecting your skin from the sun.
I also think it's important to mention, that I do believe that the sun can be healthy for us. We are like plants - we need the sun to synthesize vitamin D, which fights disease and depression, so I do believe that some sun exposure is healthy and necessary. But my point in this post is that when discussing premature aging and declining skin health, avoiding the sun is the best way to avoid these.
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