Did you know....

Did you know that it was Coco Chanel that started the "Tanning" trend? She returned from St. Tropez with a tanned face in 1923, that was probably when started to think of her skincare line too!! Nothing ages us faster than the sun. A suntan is the body's natural defense to the UV - Ultraviolet rays. An easy way to remember the difference in the UV rays: UVA - Aging and UVB is Burning. Your body's reaction to the sun is to produce more melanin to protect itself. Melanin is what gives our skin the darker color.
Now I am a natural redhead so I don't think I have a drop of Melanin in my body! I tried for years to get that beautiful tan that all my girlfriends had. I put on the baby oil mixed with iodine, which only made me burn faster! The only time I was somewhat tanned was when all of my freckles would run together...now I use a self-tanner. I have found the St. Tropez brand to work the best for me.
We know now how dangerous those sunburns and suntans can be to our health. Nearly 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year.
Every day you should put sunscreen on your skin, especially your face. Now I like to do it one step, so my moisturizer has an SPF of 30. SPF means Sun Protection Factor and the formula is Minutes to burn without sunscreen x SPF number = maximum sun exposure time. An SPF of 30 will let me stay in the sun: 10 minutes x 30SPF = 300 minutes. Do I want to stay in the sun for 5 hours, probably not! You need a "Broad Spectrum" SPF to protect you from the different UV rays. At the dreaded sun tanning salons you still receive the UVA rays which age your skin by breaking down the connective tissue. Once these connective tissues are broken they form a WRINKLE.....eeeekkkk! Well it goes on and on till we look like Magda, from "There's Something About Mary". Google her image and you will see what I am talking about!
So right now, I am putting on my sunscreen and heading out to the eastern end of Long Island to watch my son, Andrew who is 24, play lacrosse. My husband, Art and my son both have olive skin, so you can recognize me as the one under the umbrella wearing a hat!
All my best,
Mimi