I’m certainly not telling you to avoid the sun at all costs: Sunlight impacts our mental health, regulates our circadian rhythm, and helps our bodies’ produce vitamin D. All things that are as equally important as your skin health.
However, there are very reasonable sun care habits you can adopt to protect your skin while getting your dose of sunshine. First and foremost, apply sunscreen daily on areas that will be exposed to the elements. Some days, like when you’re going to the office, that’ll be just your face and hands. Others, like if you’re heading out for a hike, it might be much more real estate. (And don’t forget to reapply, especially if you’re getting wet or sweaty!)
But sun care also means how you spend your time in the sun. Don’t allow your SPF application to be a hall pass for an all day, uninterrupted tanning session. SPF can certainly block UV radiation, but it’s not perfect protection.
And when you’re out of the sun, be sure to hydrate your skin with anti-inflammatory topicals to help calm skin retroactively. Aloe vera is often hailed as an apres-sun superstar, and it is for good reason. One antioxidant protein, in particular, called metallothionein, has been found to have a protective effect on skin1 that’s been exposed to and damaged by UV rays.
