The Underdog of Skincare

By Helen Wang
Blog Content Contributor

Originally published on February 26, 2016.

If you hate the cold and love being out in the sun any chance you get, then living in Texas is the right place for you. Being out in the sun for just ten minutes in the middle of the day can give you 10,000 international units of vitamin D, not to mention how sexy it is when your skin finally is at the perfect level of bronze you want it to be. Although being in the sun has its many advantages, all this tanning and being out in the sun can be extremely harmful to your skin even if you don’t get sunburned.

I’m not just talking about applying sunscreen whenever you go out for a swim, even though that’s definitely something you should be doing anyways. For Texas State students, or just Texas residents in general because we all know how hot and sunny our Lone Star state can be, walking up and down all the hills on campus everyday can be extremely harmful to your face.

Just because you don’t get sunburned or aren’t out in the sun all day, doesn’t mean the sun isn’t harmful to your face. The puny SPF 15 they put in certain foundations does not help when it comes to protecting your pretty face in its prime from the Texas sun.

People generally don’t think to put on sunscreen everyday, especially if they know they won’t get sunburned But just because your face isn’t peeling doesn’t mean it’s not getting harmed by the daily sun exposure you get by walking around campus or being out and about in the sun all day. The damage may not be noticeable right away but once you do notice signs of early aging, eye wrinkles, sunspots, or loss of elasticity in your face, it’ll be too late.

Start early and preserve your face to the best of your ability by making sunscreen a part of your daily morning routine. Any face sunscreen with SPF 30 is good but try to aim for SPF 50. I am currently using Vanicream that has SPF 50+; it doesn’t have that thick sunscreen texture or smell and I mix it in with my face lotion every morning before I apply my makeup and it works wonders. Some other good brands are Cerave, Clinique, or Kiehls. Everyone’s preferences are different but if you do your research and play around with what your face likes, you’re bound to find one that’s perfect for you. Your older self will thank you for it.