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by Laura Vendetti

www.vendettihair.com

lvhairco@bellsouth.net

If you were told a product exists that has actually been proven to prevent pre-mature ageing, would you be interested? Sound like a miracle product? Well it is, and it can be bought just about anywhere, and in a variety of price ranges. You have heard of it, it is commonly known as sunscreen.

There was once a time when it was prestigious to have fair skin, and women went to great lengths to prevent any sun tanning from occurring. All of that changed when Coco Chanel took a vacation and came back with a tan. Suddenly tanning became the new prestige. It was regarded as a sign of a leisurely lifestyle, and to this day evidence of a really good vacation.

For years we slathered on anything reflective to expedite the tanning process. We literally cooked ourselves with baking oil, and mixed baby oil with iodine to stain the skin. Manufacturers picked up on this trend, and started adding the iodine for us, resulting in a chic orangeish glow.

In using these methods of tanning, a burn is inevitable, the key being burning just enough to result in a tan. Too much, and the skin peels off, a painful process as well as slowing down the result we tried to achieve in the first place. A tan is after all, simply the skin’s effort to protect itself from the sun. It is a defense mechanism, a level of tolerance that will eventually be breached. It took some decades to recognize this, and to make the shocking connection between tanning and premature ageing.

Living coastal myself, it is impossible to avoid some repercussions from sun exposure, and it has also been proven that some exposure is good for us! That is where sunscreen comes in. Most advocates agree, a minimum of SPF 15 daily, applied 20 minutes before exposure is adequate. The Sun Protection Factor, or SPF numbers, range from 2-50 and simply represents the amount of sun exposure it will help your particular skin type tolerate before burning. 

Everyday we are exposed to the sun, perhaps even sitting inside near a window! Being wise to this, most cosmetic companies are adding some percentage of sunscreen in all of their products, even lip stick.

This is wonderful news; however surface products do wear off during the day. It is optimum to layer beginning with an SPF beneath your make-up, if not on top periodically during the day. Just as you can find foundation with SPF, you can also find sunscreen with tints in a variety of ranges to best match your skin. 

What’s more, you may also find readily available sunscreens and sun blocks that treat the skin while protecting it. My personal favorite is chock full of vitamins and lubricants, feeding the skin nutrients while simultaneously protecting it. What’s not to love about that?

If you still can’t resist the sun kissed glow, you don’t have to! Instant results can be yours with modern self tanners, sans orangeish glow. Like most things in life that can be bought, you can purchase a tan in a variety of settings with a variety of prices. It is a small price to pay at any rate, if you figure all the money you will save on anti-ageing products later.

As the world shrinks with modern day technology and easy travel, so does the distinction between nationalities. Particularly in the melting pot that is North America.

There are more known skin colors in 2006 than ever before. The distinction between light and dark skin colors is becoming blurred, resulting in beautiful variations of skin tones. The most beautiful skin of all however, is the type when the woman wearing it is comfortable, regardless of the shade.