I have had a sort of mid-life metamorphis. I have started to use sunscreen. It has only taken me 49yrs to realize how important it is to protect my skin from the damaging rays of the sun. What took me so long (I can hear my mother saying as she reads this). Well, to be honest it is part vanity (I look better with when I am not so tan and I don’t want wrinkles or a part of my face cut off for a biopsy), part common sense (the medical reports flood my in-box with news and information) and part the real life knowledge that skin cancer isn’t pretty (I visit the doctor 2x’s a year for annual skin exams).
Just like everything that life has to offer there are the good and the bad and we have to have a balance. The sun can be good for you- moderate sun exposure can increase the vitamin D supply which helps strengthen bones, muscles, and the body’s immune system. Exposure to the sun can also help with some skin conditions. The flip side (the bad) is that the worst consequence of long-term exposure to the sun is the development of skin cancer. Because the sun damage to the skin develops over years, the older you are, the greater the risk of developing skin cancer.
Being smart is the answer. And there are so many products that line the store shelves for the best sunscreen. I recently found an article in the NY Times sharing the best sunscreen. Click here for the information.
The sun has some great benefits and it does make me feel good - it gives me energy, stamina and it lifts my mood. I am not hiding from the sun, just being smarter. I encourage you to do the same!