Why Use A Sun Screen Even when its Raining

While I am writing this, the sun in question is hidden in the clouds and there is rain splashing on the windows, it’s the blessings of the great British weather and autumn. I love the warmth of the summer sun on a lazy afternoon but I am not a sun worshipper, I get tanned easily, being Asian does not help, tan lines that distinguish your face from your neck are not good. (hijabi problems!) Thus for me a good sunscreen is a must. After lots and lots of studying I found out why sun screen is important even on days when the sun is not out and you are sitting in your home in front of the T.V or Laptop. 

So today I am going to jump right in and skim through the very vast subject of skin, we all know that our skin is the largest organ of the body, it comprises of several layers, protects us from extremities and also controls our body's temperature. Melanin present in the skin produces the skin pigment which is dominated by our race, producing less or more melanin, which is called pigment of the skin. Pigmentation can be affected by different factors medication, genetics, hormonal changes and exposure to UV light. When the skin becomes more pigmented than the surrounding skin, this is termed as hyper-pigmentation, which is common for women after pregnancy or during pregnancy. When the skin becomes lighter than the surrounding types of skin, this is termed hypo-pigmentation. 

Now what are the UV Rays that everyone keeps talking about, Ultraviolet Rays are electromagnetic radiation which is all around us in sunlight and also emitted by electric devices. We all know there are 2 kinds of UV rays, UVA which is responsible for ageing and penetrates the deeper layers of the skin causing fine lines and wrinkles. UVB is the burning rays of the sun which penetrates the upper layers of the skin causing tanning.

Now to the sunscreen, it protects you from the damaging UVA and UVB rays of the sun, which is responsible for creating fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation on the skin. not to mention the tan lines. 

Over the years I have experimented with a lot of sun screens, some would not leave my skin even after 3 cleans, some would block pores and then I had a period where I stopped wearing sun screen at all because uni days mixed with Karachi's sweltering heat makes for milk drops on your face. Not a good look.

In my thirties though I have found the perfect sun screen for my skin and its a re-purchase since 2011. (one year after the twins were born as pigmentation decided to stay on the stash)  

La Roshe-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Invisible Fluid Sun Cream SPF50+

Enter the age of the French brand La Roshe-Posay which by the way is another company owned by L'Oreal which I will discuss in another blog post. I love this sun screen, its light weight and also comes tinted as well which if applied gives you a beautiful sheen and light coverage, if you want that. trust me after kids I need a bit of coverage. 

  The texture is lovely and glides on easily and dries quicker than a moisturiser. Always apply your sunscreen after your usual serum + moisturiser combination. I would not recommend this for dry skin as it can be drying, for people with normal skin you need this. It has very high SPF which is sun protection factor which measures how much of the UV rays goes through the sun screen, the higher the number the better. It does not mean that you are immune to the sun, it means that you are 90% protected from the harmful rays of the sun. 15 means it protects your skin 93%, 30 means 97% and 50 means 99%, so any SPF is good for you. 

You can get this from Boots for £17.50 or from Feel Unique for £11.55 (Sale Price) for a tube. Let me know which is your favourite sun cream? 

Love and Peace All 

Shireen