True or False? Never Leave the House Without Sunscreen (You May Be Wrong)

While it’s true that you should never leave the house without sunscreen, it really needs to be applied shortly after you awake in the morning.

Many people say to me, “You’d be so proud of me, Renée.  Because of you, I now never leave the house without sunscreen!”

I am proud.  While it does make me happy to know people follow these tips, it also makes me wonder if they underestimate what sun exposure is really about.

Did you realize UV rays could penetrate through windows in your home?  78% of sun exposure is incidental, so in a week you could easily get an additional five hours of UV damage. That means all of the times you don’t think you are catching a few unintended rays, you are! Because of this incidental exposure, I truly believe that sunscreen should be called daylight screen, and should be worn all hours of daylight – whether you leave your home, or not…

For example, I have a home office.  Because of this, I am indoors most days other than when I see clients on Wednesdays at One Arts Plaza.  Even though I’m not in direct sunlight, I have a lot of windows in my home so I apply sunscreen within 20 minutes of waking up.  This protects my skin from incidental exposure, which we all get on a daily basis.

Bottom line: Sunscreen needs to be applied to the skin shortly after you awake in the morning and be worn 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside and out.

Do you apply sunscreen first thing in the morning?

Do you get acne blemishes from using sunscreen? Read why Zinc Oxide sunscreen is best for sensitive skin.

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