Please Wear Sunscreen Every Day

This post is mostly for young people out there. I am begging you, please wear sunscreen every day. We all like to feel like we're pretty; let's not pretend we don't. And, the fact of the matter is, we will all get old some day. But, we can somewhat control when the effects of aging start to show on our skin. In this post, I'm going to try and convince you to take control of your health, fight the effects of aging, and prevent melanoma by one simple step- wearing sunscreen. 

Sunscreen blocks UVB and UVA rays. These rays are from the sun and are responsible for most of the effects of aging. When UV rays come in contact with your skin in small amounts, the light works to convert vitamin D in your body, which is a very beneficial thing necessary for your health. But, everyone I know, especially living in Florida, gets more than about ten minutes of sun exposure every single day. UV rays penetrate the DNA of skin, breaking down the collagen and elastin of the skin. The final result is saggy, wrinkled skin that no longer has the elasticity of young skin to remain soft and supple. 

If you ask any model what their beauty regimen is, the most basic answer they will give is "drink lots of water, sleep well, eat well, and wear sunscreen." Models are regarded as a pinnacle of beauty and typically all age gracefully, so they know what's up to stay healthy.

Take a look at these models who live by those rules:

This is Krysten Ritter. She has been a model since she was 15 years old, and now she is 32. Based on this photo, which was taken recently of her, I would guess that she is only 25.

Her secret? She stated in an interview that she always carries sunscreen in her purse.

Here's Naomi Campbell. The photo on the left is a photo taken of her in 2013 at a Vanity Fair party. In this photo, she is 43 years old! She does NOT look her age. I would guess that she looks 32 rather than 44.

Part of this might be because "black don't crack," so we'll have to consider that factor in her anti-aging routine. But, the majority of her young appearance is due to wearing sunscreen religiously and drinking lots of green tea.

Let's be real, she used to do crack cocaine, and she still looks this fabulous. Wear sunscreen, please. The photo on the right is of her at age 21 in 1991. I don't see a significant difference in her appearance between the two photos, so everyone, take note.

Here's my last success story example:

Here is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler side by side at the Golden Globe Awards in 2014.

Tina looks signifcantly younger than Amy, which is strange since Tina is 44, and Amy is 42.

Tina's secret? In her book Bossypants, she dedicates almost an entire chapter to discussing her skin care routine. She says always wear a hat, sleep like a normal person, and wear sunscreen every single day.

And here's what Fergie has to say about sunscreen:



“The one thing I've learnt about my body I wish I’d known ten years ago is how important sunscreen is."

She's now 39 years old, and she looks, in my opinion, about 45. She is still beautiful, but check out how smokin' she was when she was 18.



She has wrinkles, and her skin no longer glows like it used to, which is unfortunate. 

The fact of the matter is, even if you don't go for a sun-kissed tan, you're still accruing sun damage every single day. If you've been sunburnt more than 5 times in your lifetime, your risk for melanoma is 80% higher than if you hadn't been burnt as much. Every little bit of UV radiation causes damage, so do yourself a favor and wear sunscreen.

In my experience, girls my own age (19-20) already hate their appearances. Just imagine, how much more will you hate your appearance when it's old, saggy, and wrinkled? There's nothing wrong with aging, but wearing sunscreen ensures a much more graceful transition into maturity. This all sounds somewhat vain, but come on, everyone, let's be real here, we all love to feel like we're pretty. So, do your part in maintaining your appearance and prevent skin cancer at the same time. Always wear sunscreen that's at least SPF 30 (but no higher than 50), wear hats in the sunshine, and avoid peak UV radiation times from 11 AM-3 PM. 

Applying sunscreen daily literally takes less than three minutes, and it's a simple step that can be incorporated into your daily beauty regimen. Your skin will thank you.