to sunscreen or not to sunscreen?

Now that fall is coming upon on us, many are packing up their sunscreens and putting them in the back of their linen closets.  However, just because your days at the beach are up, it doesn't mean you don't need sunscreen on a day-to-day basis, even if you live in Portland.  Incidental sun exposure (the sun exposure we get just doing are day-to-day activities) is a major contributor to those little lines and and brown spots we see as we age.  People often ask me what is the number one product you would recommend for anti aging and my answer is: you guessed it, sunscreen.  It's a lot easier to prevent rather than correct.  And given that sun is the number one cause of fine lines and pigmentation, I would use the one tool, that helps to protect you from it.  I'm not advocating for one to fear the sun because the sun offers oodles of benefits; I'm simply saying, "work with it."  And not all sunscreens are created equal.  First and foremost, if it says it offers an spf of 45 or higher, don't be fooled.  Anything above an spf of 30 means you're most likely getting more chemicals and the increase in your sunscreen coverage is minimal.  With that said, look at the active ingredients in your sunscreen. The only active ingredient I fully support is: Zinc Oxide.  Titanium Dioxide is a close second. As for other chemical active ingredients, studies are beginning to find that when these ingredients have been on the skin for a certain period of time, they actually begin to cause free radicals and free radicals are the jerks that take part in giving you your wrinkles and helping your skin to sag. These guys are to be avoided at all costs.  Zinc and titanium dioxide are physical sunscreens, meaning they work as a block between your skin and the sun, rather than chemical sunscreens, which absorb the sun's rays.  Additionally titanium and zinc are minerals, which help calm down inflammation and inflammation is also a cause in those pesky wrinkles. When looking at a products ingredient declaration look for a zinc or titanium percentage of  8 or higher.  Furthermore, if you're prone to rosacea and acne, zinc and titanium reduce the redness in both cases, and the sun aggravates both of these conditions, so you're getting a two-for-one benefit by using a sunscreen with zinc or titanium dioxide. One last thing, to up your sunscreen's ante, get a sunscreen with antioxidants, which are like little warriors helping to protect your skin against free and radicals and, again, free radicals are not your friend. What are some examples of antioxidants?  So glad you asked.  They are: vitamin c, green tea, white, vitamin e, coffee berry and there are many more, but those are the heavy weights.  My favorite sunscreen, that also acts as a moisturizer and it is divine for oily and acne prone skin is:  Image's Oil Free Spf 30. I am acne prone and I fear sunscreen as do most acne prone people; however, fear not, this guy goes on like water and alleviates any dehydration my skin may be feeling at the moment.  What a fella!!!