One is never too old to learn something new or to refresh our minds about something we know to be true. As gardeners and outdoors people, we sometimes are so excited bout the possibilities of being outdoors, we forget that we need to protect our skin.
I will be perfectly honest, I love laying in the sun. I love the fact that I get my Vitamin D from the sun – I used to think the more sun the better merely for the Vitamin D. Yep, I even love my complexion better when I have been kissed by the sun. However after many years of hiking, biking and gardening in the sun, I noticed a few years ago that I had sunburn on my nose – ME. I honestly thought, well, this skin I am in is aging, so that is why I burned. I had always heard that darker skinned folks, people of color did not burn. Wow what an untruth that IS.
People of all colors and shades of color can burn and suffer skin damage.
I recently had a Facial Assessment done by a consultant with La Roche- Posay. I thought to myself, it will all turn out okay because I surely had not really been in the sun that much to have done any damage to speak of. Well here is the photo of the underlying sun damage. As he told me that there was nothing to worry about right now, but I was advised to start using some type of sunscreen on my skin whenever I am outdoors.
Shocking, right? I would never have known. As they say ignorance is bliss….until something happens. I turned the wheel at the LAROCHE-POSAY USA booth at BLOGHER15 and won a sample of their New product Anthelios 60 Melt In Sunscreen Milk. It is fast absorbing, has a velvety finish and is for all skin types.
It is also water resistant (80 minutes), fragrance free and Paraben free and has been tested on sensitive skin.
It also absorbs quickly (or should I say melts into the skin) and effective while using minimal ingredients. Some of the things I would be looking for if I had accepted the fact that I needed to think seriously about my aging skin and the potential damage I might be doing while in the sun.
Anthelios 60 has Cell-OX Shield XL, which is a combo UVA/UVB filtering system that ultimately offers broad spectrum protection. I have used this product every day this week as I have walked the dog, worked in the garden, walked at lunchtime or sat on the roof at work to read….just used it daily and I must say, I am impressed. I was waiting for the break out to happen, but no breakout – not even a bump. I was thinking that it might feel heavy on my skin – not at all. I thought it might compete with the natural oils I use as fragrance – but nope, as it is fragrance free.
As a gardener, I want to be around to see and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me for many years to come…..without being all bundled up or subjected to the whims of skin cancer. I have to say that I like the feel of this on my skin and how well it absorbs – without leaving that “ashy” or “greasy”effect. As we go forth into the dog days of this summer, I will continue to use sunscreen to protect my beauty and I hope you will too. It is one of the first items that will travel with me to Paris. I plan on being outside enjoying the beauty that surrounds me, sunscreen on and other protective measures to protect my skin. Quite honestly – this photo in the Facial Assessment Report is kind of eerie…enough to make me change my ways. Will you??
(By the way – these are my personal thoughts and other than the sample received at BLOGHER15, I am not being compensated for this post. I just wanted to share yet another beautiful thought of protecting or skin, no matter how light or how dark, so we can continue to garden together. Your product preference is YOUR choice)
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