Sunscreen - know your facts
karen donnelly • June 4, 2024
Do you know your facts about sunscreen? Which to buy? SPF/UVA protection, how often to apply?
Sunscreen, the facts we should all know:
The active ingredients in sunscreens (called UV filters) are classified as either organic or inorganic.
Organic chemicals work by absorbing UV radiation, whereas inorganic chemicals both absorb and scatter the incident UV radiation. Many modern sunscreens contain a mixture of both organic and inorganic UV filters to provide broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.
The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a system used globally to determine how much protection a sunscreen gives when applied to the skin at a thickness of 2mg/cm2. The test measures how much protection against UV radiation the sunscreen provides, e.g. a product providing SPF30 will result in a skin exposure of just one-thirtieth that received by unprotected skin for the same time in the sun.
Sunscreens, in order to be protective, have to be applied liberally to be effective. This includes using it to all
exposed areas and regularly reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours and immediately after swimming/towelling.
TOP TIPS FOR BUYING AND APPLYING SUNSCREEN
Firstly be aware that no sunscreen provides complete protection, so never rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin - for best protection you should practice the 5 S's of Sun safety - see following blog
Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30 or above, preferably water resisitant
Make sure it's broad spectrum and carries a UVA symbol - if it has a star rating, use a minimum 4 star rating
Be aware that the price of sunscreen does not always match the quality
Store in an accessible, cool place and remember to check the expiry date
Try a toddler sunscreen if you have sensitive skin
Apply 20 minutes before you go outside and preferably once again when outdoors
Apply a generous amount of sunscreen, ideally, the average sized adult should apply at least a teaspoon of suncream to each arm, leg, front of body and back and at least 1/2 teaspoon to face, including, neck, and ears. That is 35ml of sunscreen for one application. If you find this quantity too much, then one trick is to apply a 2nd coat in the sun. Think of it as painting a textured wall - 2 coats is needed to give adequate coverage
No matter what the sunscreen instructions say, you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours when you are outdoors. sunscreen can be easily wiped or perspired off, therefore, you need to keep reapplying to provide adequate protection
Younger looking skin is becoming more desirable as it is the foundations of beauty and feeling good about ourselves. Here at SKY aesthetics, we offer many treatments designed to revitalise and rejuvenate the skin. From, dermal fillers, mesotherapy, microneedling, dermaplaning, skin peels and injectable skin boosters In Today's blog, I want to focus on 2 products: Profhilo and Sunekos, although similar, they have different properties Profhilo Profhilo is an injectable skin treatment made from highly concentrated, highly purified hyaluroonic acid (HA). Profhilo acts as a bioremodeller. It gets broken down after around 28 days, but prior to breaking down it stimulates collagen and elastin synthesis, resulting in plumper, tighter, smoother, more supple skin Profhilo is injected into 10 specific areas of the face, known as BAP - bio aesthetic points, the product then spreads under the surface of the skin where it immediately, hydrates deep within the skin, due to the hydrophilic (water-loving) properties of the hyaluronic acid. It is given as 2 treatments at 1 month intervals Sunekos Sunekos skin injectable is a patented formula which combines amino acids (the essential building blocks of elastin and collagen) with hyaluronic acid. Sunekos regenerated the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) of your skin and deeply hydrates and plumps treated tissue. This leads to 'dermal biogenesis', the result is a reduction in the severity of wrinkles, hydration to both the superficial and deep layers of your skin, and a desirable volumising effect and dramatic boost to your elastin and collagen It can be target specific area's, loose, crepey skin and/or loss of volume around the eyes. This is a 4 part tre atment, each session is given at 7-10 day interval In conclusion, both treatments are nice skin rejuvenation treatments. In my experience, Profhilo , is good to refresh,, firm and smooth the skin and give it 's glow back. Whereas, sunekos also refreshes, firms and smooths skin and gives it's glow back, in those with more advanced stages of ageing, it can also be used to target specific area's - eye area, lines around the mouth. Contact for more information
Believe it or not the Aesthetics industry is NOT regulated, which means that practitioners are not always medically trained . The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners is calling for better industry regulation . -What to look for in a Practitioner Medically trained E nsure your practitioner is medically trained ( doctor, dentist or nurse) this means they will have undergone training in anatomy, physiology, infection control procedures, clinical assessment and treatment planning and have trained to level 6 (degree level) or level 7 (masters level. They are also professionally accountable and are regulated by their professional body, registration with the appropriate body can be checked by the general public Trust and communication Your practitioner will offer a consultation, this is an opportunity to meet the practitioner and discuss your concerns,. A good practitioner will assess and plan an appropriate treatment plan, offering advice, explains all procedures, expected outcomes, risk and potential complications. There should be no pressure to proceed with treatment, you should be given time to consider and ask questions. Ask your practitioner to show you some before and after photos and have a look at reviews on their sites. i.e. social media , google and website Insurance Your medical practitioner should have appropriate medical insurance in place, feel free to as Complications management Your practitioner should be able to recognise and manage potential complications. Please note that in the event of complication, your practitioner may need to use other medications, which non- medical practitioners will not have access to. Check your practitioner has undergone training to manage potential complications and is a member of a a complications group Products Check which products your practitioner uses, there are many on the market, some of which are not regulated and meet the safety profile. Products should be CE certified and FDA approved and issued from a UK pharmacy About me I am a nurse prescriber, with over 30 years experience in the NHS, working mainly in Critical care medicine, I am trained to Masters level and have attended numerous aesthetics courses. These include advanced level, masterclasses and continuous ongoing professional development. My training includes complications management and I am a member of the Aesthetics Complication Expert Group. I have medical insurance and use premium quality products that are both CE certified and FDA approved and issued from a UK pharmacy .
Everyone's skin is different, we each have our own unique skin profiles, which means one product or skin care regimen does not suit all. Skin types include, dry, normal, combination and oily. skin conditions include rosacea, sensitive, acne and hyperpigmentation. Other variables also have an impact on your skin, for example, age, ethnicity, and climate. Understanding your skin profile is key to choosing the correct products and ingredients to achieve optimum results A skin analysis and consultation, provided here at SKY aesthetics, will identify your unique profile and provide an optimal treatment regimen for you AlumierMD products are free of parabens, sulfates and dyes, recyclable packaging and all products are created to work synergistically with each other Some basic skincare tips cleanse morning and night - to get rid of anti-oxidants, impurities and debris moisturise - with an appropriate product to maintain the hydrolipidic barrier speciality serum - with active ingredients to tackle specific skin conditions SPF moisturiser - probably the most important product to protect your skin from ageing quickly keep well hydrated to maintain good skin hydration maintain a healthy well balanced diet to provide the essential ingredients to maintain skin health
Resilience, what is it and are we/you resilient. This is something I had never really contemplated before but certainly feel that my resilience has been put to the test. I have been on annual leave from my NHS job this week ,which has given me the opportunity to reflect on my resilience and how I'm feeling Resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre crisis status quickly, we all deal with adverse event during our lives and have varying levels of resilience A couple of years ago I was asked in an interview what strategies I had to deal with personal resilience, it was a question that I had never really thought about before as I feel I have a fairly good level of resilience and never really questioned it before. However, this has certainly been challenged over the past year and I've spent the last week reflecting on why it has been such an emotional challenge. first of all I realised that the strategies I had and took for granted were disrupted,, such as seeing friends, going out for meals, going to the gym, catching up with family, going on holidays. Secondly, I realised that I didn't have control of the situation, it has been very fluid and as I very well know healthcare in ever changing and evolving but we don't, as individuals have control of the situation. Therefore, I decided I needed to look at things that I could control and reframe my usual coping strategies. Some of the things I have done this week, is meet up with family, friends for a walk (one at a time,of course), plan zoom meeting for those friends that don't live nearby. Plan my day, so that I had a focus and structure to my day, which included some physical exercise, some mental wellbeing - such as yoga, relaxation time and 1 household job. I have found reflecting on my resilience, why I have found it a challenge and reframing my strategies beneficial. I hope you are all managing OK and if you need a listening ear or fancy chat, I'm hear for that too. Hope to see you all soon. Take care and stay positive.
LA GLOW GOLD infusion is an innovative dual treatment providing micro-skin needling and mesotherapy. MESOTHERAPY is a non-surgical treatment that involves topical application of active skin rejuvenating substances / serums (such as vitamins, enzymes, acids, etc) to the mesodermal layer of the skin. These are delivered via micro-injections, which promotes instant, deep absorption of active ingredients MICRONEEDLING is a fine needle device used to stimulate wound healing response leading to natural regeneration and repair of skin. LA GLOW GOLD infusion is a micro needling device which dispenses a cocktail of ingredients to the mesodermal layer It is used to treat: photodamage, ageing skin, fine lines and wrinkles, impaired skin tone and texture, general rejuvenation treatment, pigmentation, open pores, oily skin and facial sweating with meso-tox .Benefits intense revitalisation and hydration of the skin flattening of superficial wrinkles and recovery of lost elasticity enhances the complexion improves dermal structure can be used at any age and by any skin type, to correct visible signs of ageing INTRODUCTORY OFFER DURING SEPTEMBER £95 usually £150
Coming Soon SUNEKOS 200 is an injectable containing hyaluronic acid and a specific cluster of amino acids, which stimulates to production of new collagen and elastin SUNEKOS BODY can be used on stubborn areas, such as underarms, inner thighs, abdomen and hands to improve skin laxity and tone TREATMENTS AVAILABLE FROM MID SEPTEMBER, MORE INFORMATION AND INTRODUCTORY OFFER TO FOLLOW SOON.
