I must confess that for a long time I didn't know how
important it is to protect your skin against sun rays. Despite having a medical
science background I was careless to the effects of sun on my skin. I knew
everything about skin cancer and the consequences of environment stress. But for some reason I never used tanning beds but considered tanning on the beach somehow ok. It's not that I didn't use any sun protection for my face, I did!
But only on the beach. Apparently, it was not enough I got tanned and despite knowing that it's
bad I was happy to have a "healthy sun glow". I know ridiculous but we
were / and still are all influenced by the western tan - obsessed culture.
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After getting older, now 26 and starting to care about anti-aging I realized that I was
doing damage all this years. I developed
some small lines on my forehead, nasolabial folds and visible pigmentations. I blame my behavior also
on living for some time in south France.
The French brought tanning in the 20s (Coco Chanel they say, later made popular
by Brigitte Bardot) and it became popular in western world. To my knowledge
people in the US are becoming more aware of sun damage and use sunscreen,tanning spray salons etc. to get a fake tan. Nevertheless, the
French didn't really adapt this habit and like to 'grill' in the sun. It's quit
unpopular in France, especially in the south, to have a fake tan and everybody
is expected to be naturally tanned. A fake tan is a no-no because you are
living in the south. When I lived there
I was knew of photo aging and didn't want to tan a lot. I saw for the
first time in my life so many French girls/women
with sun spots, pigmentations, freckles and yellow dull looking face. Don't get
me wrong I don't want to offend French women and I'm sure many are using sunscreens. But In general I think a change in awareness of sun damage is needed. For more about this check this video out; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeHgv1W_hRg, its by a French blogger about the attitude of French women towards sun protection.
Despite 'me' using sun protection I burned several times on
the beach, probably because I stayed in the sun between 12am-15am and didn't
use enough sunscreen after taking a swim. Still, I remember one of my colleagues
asking me why I looked so pale while living on the cote azure (I was tanned but
not too much, apparently this was considered pale). I
This was an introduction to what led me to start using
sunscreen on my face and think about the consequences could be if I don't. It's
important to protect your skin everyday even in the winter. It's the best anti-aging cream you can get, maximum UVA/UVA protection. Shield your skin
from damaging UV rays!!!
One of the first real sunscreen that I started using was the Murad sunblock.
I had some small 30 ml
tubes that I bought from a beauty website here in Holland during a sale
period, it must have been a year ago. The sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun rays. The active ingredients are: avobenzone, homosalate, octinoxate, octisalate, oxybenzone.
Murad sunblock has full UVA/UVB protection SPF 30 waterproof formula, which
utilizes three active sunscreens. It claims to resists water and free radical damage and helps
lock in moisture and maintain skin firmness. Contains vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and Phytolipids.
- - Hyaluronic Acid is a very popular skin care ingredient with a lot of scientific proof, it boost skin's moisture content, reduce inflammation, has cell-communicating abilities and help prevent moisture loss.
- - Vitamin C is my all-time favorite ingredient! There is so much scientific research showings it's skin benefits. It Reduce the appearance of brown spots and other types of sun damage. Helps boost healthy collagen production.
The sunscreen promises to reduce inflammation and irritation, both of which cause a cascade of damage, fade post-breakout red marks by improving skin’s natural healing response and increase the effectiveness of your sunscreens and boosts your skins defense against UV exposure....
The instructions says
to apply it for 30 minutes prior to sun
exposure and reapply after 80 minutes the water or after excessive perspiring.
I used the sunscreen in the hot summer months especially on the beach, because of the water proof claims. The texture is really thick creamy and difficult to spread, I didn't like that. However, it's water resistance and thus has a long staying power. My face is really sweat proof when I'm using it but it does have a white cast effect. The sunscreen didn't cause any breakouts or any other reaction on my sensitive skin. In general sunscreens tend to be drying, and the murad is no exception with its thick texture and mat finish. That's why I would use it only in the very hot summer days or on the beach, otherwise it's not moisturizing enough. For oily skin it's probably okay for daily use.
I don't think I will
repurchase it again in the near future,
there are many other brands I can't
wait to try out , I'm now moving into the territory of Japanese
sunscreens, nobody makes them so good as the Japanese; usually they tend to be
lightweight and cheaper compared to
western brands. I also prefer a sunscreen with both chemical and physical filters.
Physical sunscreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking
the UV rays where chemical sunscreen absorb UV rays. But the ingredients
vitamin C (high in the ingredient list)
and Hyaluronic Acid are really good skin care ingredients.
Pro's
- good
SPF protection 30 UVA/UVB
- water
resistant
- sweat
proof
- oil
controlling
- contains
Hyaluronic Acid and vitamin C
- not
expensive 30 dollars for 125 ml!
- big
full size product
Con's
- a
little bit of a whitish cast
- not
moisturizing enough for everyday use
- contains fragrance (may not suit sensitive skin)
- to many
chemical filters, (may also not suit sensitive skin)
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