I have found Sun block to be the most misunderstood skin care product and the most important. What is Sun block? We have been bombarded by sun blocks over the last ten years with the awareness and prevalence of Skin Cancer. If you are not wearing Sun block on a daily basis you have not been educated in good skin care practices. With the confusion of the saturated marketing of sun block products how do you know what is good for your skin and your lifestyle. With everyday use sun block is the best preventative of aging skin you can do for your skin. Skin damage from sunlight builds up with continued exposure, whether sunburn occurs or not. In addition to skin cancer and sunburn, other effects can include wrinkling, premature aging, and in time, an almost leathery appearance of the skin. Research also suggests that excessive exposure to UV radiation may interfere with the body's immune system. What is the difference between UVA and UVB rays? Sunburn is associated with the shorter ultraviolet wavelengths, known as ultraviolet B (UVB). The longer wavelengths, known as ultraviolet A (UVA) can penetrate the skin and damage connective tissue at deeper levels, even if the skin's surface feels cool. It is important to limit exposure to both UVA and UVB.
What does SPF stand for “Sun Protection Factor.” SPF was developed to describe the amount of protection that a sunscreen provides. No sunscreen can protect your skin from all of the UV rays, but a higher SPF number indicates protection from more rays. The SPF number tells you how long you should be in the sun before re-applying. If your skin would burn in 10 minutes in the afternoon sun without any sun protection, and you applied a sunscreen with an SPF 15, you would have 15 x 10 = 150 minutes (2.5 hours) before you would burn.
Percentage of Protection from damaging UV rays:
SPF 15 = 92%
SPF 30 = 97%
SPF 40 = 97.5%
The biggest misconception is that you don’t need sun block if it is cloudy outside. Ultraviolet (UV) rays can penetrate clouds by up to 80%, even if it is raining. UV rays can penetrate glass; they can also be reflected off a glass or water.  As an Aesthetician with a background in product development, I personally recommend an SPF of 15 to 30 that blocks both UVA & UVB light.  An SPF below 15 may not provide adequate protection against sunburn and skin damage for some skin types and any product with more than 30 SPF is when you start getting more harmful chemicals into the sunscreen. My daily Sun block recommendation is Bravo Daytime Hydration SPF 30 from the product line EnPointe. It is not only an adequate sun block but is a great daytime moisturizer that make-up can be applied over. The clever packaging is a perfect pump that elimates contamination. The developer of the EnPointe product line is Christine Rodgers, M.D. a breast cancer survivor and celebrated surgeon. She has developed this product  line without controversial ingredients. The product line helps to fight against the signs of aging and stressed skin using only the most natural, healthy ingredients — like botanicals and plant extracts — and without harsh chemicals, preservatives or potentially harmful ingredients — like parabens, phthalates, phyto-estrogens, sulfates or soy.

~ Katie Magnison
Aesthetician, LazaDerm Skincare Centre