Summer weather has arrived in Toronto! As Canadians we spend most of the year anticipating the warm, sunny bliss that only graces us for a few weeks. Our activity levels go up in the summer and we start to spend more time outdoors and sometimes we totally forget to apply sunscreen. Oops! Most people reserve sunscreen as a precaution for when they go to the beach or lay by the pool. Meanwhile, our skin is sensitive to the sun all year round, even on cloudy days. That quick trip to the store with the sun blaring through your windshield could potentially cause sun damage. Sunscreen should be worn on a daily basis. One should always aim for an SPF of 30 or higher and opt for mineral based sunscreen when possible. Mineral sunscreens are best suited for all skin types, including sensitive skin and they have less of an impact on the environment. Sunscreen has many benefits for your skin:
prevents discolouration
slows down the development of wrinkles and premature aging skin
decreases the chances of skin cancer
prevents sunburns which can cause permanent skin damage
decreases the chances of developing age spots/freckles that are caused by sun exposure
Sunscreen should be reapplied every couple of hours and even more frequently if you are swimming or sweating heavily. It can be worn under makeup and some cosmetic brands actually have SPF in their products for extra protection. Skin Worthy is proud to announce that we carry a highly rated brand of sun protectors from the ZO Medical Skincare line. For those that wear make up, we suggest the ZO Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30 - it doubles as a make up primer and a sunscreen. This products allows you to look like your best, sun protected self without your make up sliding off or piling, let’s be honest, not all sunscreens and foundations/concealers work together. Alternatively for extra protection we also carry ZO’s Broad Spectrum SPF 50, this is a great product to have for the summer months to keep you sun damage free. The benefits of using ZO sun protectors are that they are both mineral based and provide UVA/UVB, HEV and IR-A protection.
UVA rays can penetrate deep into your skin’s surface down to your epidermis and your dermis. They are responsible for giving us tanned skin but alternatively cause fine lines, wrinkles and loss of elasticity.
UVB rays are responsible for damaging your skin’s surface and giving you sunburns.
Both UVA and UVB rays can initiate skin cancer.
HEV light is all around us and is visible to the human eye, it is emitted from your electronics (cellphone, computer, tablets). HEV light can initiate hyper-pigmentation, age spots and melasma. It is not linked to skin cancer but It penetrates skin deeper than UVA/UVB rays and can damage our collagen and hyaluronic acid producing cells.
Infrared Radiation is the majority of the energy that is emitted from the sun. It makes up for half of the light around us and is the cause for that warming sensation when you are out in the sun. IR-A has a low frequency but a long wavelength so it penetrates deep into our skin where cells are being formed. IRA affects the production of collagen and elastin which can lead to premature aging, wrinkles and age spots.
The ZO sun protectors are the armour you need to defend your skin from the ever present threats of sun damage. Skin Worthy can assist you every step of the way when protecting your skin and maintaining a youthful glow. We proudly stock the ZO sun protectors to keep our clients sun damage free and we also offer laser treatments and the full range of ZO skincare products to combat existing sun damage. We wish all of our clients a happy, sun-safe summer!