The End of Summer, Not Sunscreen!

Serina Taluja

Summer might be over, but I’m here to remind you not to put that sunscreen away despite temperatures starting to drop!

If you’re an avid sunscreen user- this post will bolster your already good habits! And if you have no idea why I’m going on about sunscreen, I’m here to let you know that even though Aggieland is cooling down and the days are getting shorter, your sunscreen should remain an everyday part of your skincare routine!

Seriously? It’s not that hot, why should I wear sunscreen?

Sunscreen is not just useful for keeping sunburn pain away, it also helps decrease the signs of aging! Our skin is very tough, luckily, since it is our immune system’s first line of defense against invading pathogens. However, our skin also has to deal with a battery of other offenses aside from the type that make us skin- including UV light from the sun. UV light can cause wrinkles or fine lines to appear earlier than only aging would, and sunscreen is one of the ways to protect against that. And even though it may not feel as hot outside anymore- this is still Texas, and the sun is still strong here year-round!

Wrinkles don’t bother me much, are there medical reasons to wear sunscreen year-round?

Absolutely! In addition to wrinkles and fine lines, UV light from the sun can increase your risk for skin cancer, the most common cancer in the US. This is because UV light can alter your DNA through the creation of double-strand breaks. Double strand-breaks are where both strands of the DNA double helix are broken, which can lead to incorrect repair of the damage. This happens over and over again after long UV exposure, leading to a myriad of mutations in your skin cells’ DNA, increasing the risk that those cells become cancerous.

Wow! How should I decide what type of sunscreen to wear?

This part is a lot more about personal preference than anything else! Usually an SPF30 is good for mostly indoor-folks, so if you work an office job or anything where most of your day is indoors, that should do it for protecting your skin! If you work outside, something a little higher like an SPF50 or 70 would probably be more appropriate. There are plenty of different types of sunscreen, so finding your perfect fit is just a matter of looking! Some of my personal favorites are Drunk Elephant, CeraVe, and Supergoop.