Sun exposure is the most common cause of early signs of ageing. It’s never too late to get sun-smart about taking care of your skin and preventing UV damage. We’re all well aware that skin can get burnt whilst sitting in direct sunlight, but you may not know that harmful rays from prolonged sun exposure can reach our skin even without direct contact with the sun. Here we outline five ways you can be exposed to the sun without realising it, and how to combat any harmful effects this can cause. 1/ While driving Despite the common misconception that the sun can’t penetrate through glass, this is definitely not the case when it comes to harmful UVA rays. These rays can cause all sorts of lasting damage to your skin, including deep wrinkles, premature ageing and eye damage. 2/ At work If you sit by a window at work, it’s likely you’ll be exposed to an extra eight hours of UVA rays per day. You also won’t receive the beneficial vitamin D production which helps to counteract these rays. Don’t assume that because you’re indoors, your skin can’t be damaged by the sun. 3/ When running around town Popping out to see a friend, a walk around the weekend markets, enjoying a quick coffee outside; these brief outdoor moments may not seem that dangerous, but in actual fact even small amounts of time spent outside can affect the health of your skin as they add up fairly quickly. 4/ On cloudy days Not only can the sun’s rays penetrate through glass, they can also penetrate through clouds. A cloudy day only reduces UV radiation by 20 – 40 percent, and while clouds may (slightly) block out UVB rays, they don’t stand a chance against powerful UVA rays. 5/ On snowy days It could be freezing, cloudy or even snowing up the mountain but it makes no difference. UVA rays, as mentioned, aren’t bothered by cloud cover, and won’t hesitate to damage your skin. Even worse, the pure white snow acts as a reflectant for these rays, sending them straight to your skin. So, how do we combat these harmful rays? It’s simple; wear sunscreen at all times. Incorporate sunscreen into your beauty routine, and reapply throughout the day. The higher the SPF on the bottle, the longer the protection will last, but we recommend reapplying sunscreen every 2-3 hours for ultimate protection. To protect against harmful UV rays, we recommend using Ultraceuticals Daily Protective Moisturiser SPF 50
