My Suncare Regime

[Before I start on this topic proper, I just wanna rant about something. Been watching a lot of 女人我最大 on Youtube. They often have artistes who are 40+ years old and sorta compare them to the 20-somethings. Often, when they 'analyse' area by area (e.g. the neck, then the eye area, then the hands.. etc), the 40-somethings come out on top because they really diligently do skincare and maintenance/repair (not necessarily invasive treatments, just that they are very regular in their nightly routines etc). BUT still, when I look at them on the whole, it's still quite obvious who is younger. Thus I have concluded that with even proper skincare, we can only look better than those of the same age group, but not better than those who are really younger. I wonder why. I am guessing it's because of subtle sagging of the skin. By the way, do you know even the facial bones i.e. facial structure sags? SIGH. So if you don't even do proper skincare, it might not be evident now as you might still have youth on your side. (I almost wrote 'we might still have youth' but I think I shall not kid myself.), but it will be very obvious by the time you are in your 40s.]

OK, now on to the sun. ALL skincare experts point to the sun as the number one cause of visible signs of ageing, known as photoageing. And I really do believe this, cos I have never come across a single article/post which claims otherwise. I have always been very disciplined in applying sunblock. I think since my early 20s, there has not been a single day when I fail to apply sunblock after washing my face in the morning. (Then why did I spend all those Sundays at Siloso Beach under the hot scorching sun??? ARGH! Blame it on beach volleyball! But even then, I was reapplying sunblock very often. But I still got very tanned though seldom sunburnt. No regrets la, cos I had a lot of fun then. But I wonder how much effort, money and time I have to spend now to reverse minimize the damage caused during my reckless youth.)

Even then, I have further finetuned my battle strategies against the sun recently. Since sunblock is so important and it is a common culprit in causing clogged pores &/or blackheads, it is important to use a trustable brand. I am now using Laneige Oil-Free Sunblock but I will be switching to Kiehls when I finish the current tube. This is because while the Laneige one is SPF 35 and PA++, the Kiehls one is SPF 50 and PA+++. Actually, I think as long as the SPF is above 30 and there is some PA protection, it should be good enough for normal use (i.e. mainly indoors). But since I am already using Kiehls products, I shall just choose the one that has higher 'powers' la :p And it's also oil-free by the way.

As I am usually busy with the boys once I wake up, I used to take my morning shower only around 10am, after I fed them, cleaned up, cleaned the house etc cos I didn't want to perspire again after the shower. But that meant I didn't get to wash my face and apply the all-important sunblock till 10am! The sun's killer rays are very strong in the morning, especially at the balcony area where the boys play with their trains. CANNOT! (no point just washing face first and bathing later cos most of the time in the bathroom is spent on the face anyway) So now I try to take my shower as soon as possible after I wake up (i.e. after they wake me up) - give them their milk then I dash to the bathroom liao. Minimize minimize the time I am 'naked'!! 

Do you get to wake up late? If so, make sure you close your curtains completely! Otherwise the sun will attack you while you are still sleeping 'naked'! I used to sometimes leave a gap, especially since my hubby likes to let the wind in. But now, it's a no-no! 

I also re-apply sunblock diligently when I am outside. If I go to a shopping mall or other indoor places with no direct exposure to the sun and I have bb cream/makeup on, I will pat on powder before exiting (cos even in the car/taxi, there is still sun hor). But this is only SPF 25.. and because it's a powder, I don't really trust its sun-protective abilities.. Because I want my sunblock to be a lot and thick thick.. Thick powder is ugly lah.. might as well don't put makeup if ugly lor.. Laneige has a powder with SPF 50+ and PA+++, but it's still a powder lor.. (and dunno why it's under the Suncare category but not the makeup category on their website..)

So when I really need maximal sun protection, such as when I bring the boys out for outdoor activities, I give up short-term beauty for long-term beauty :p I will not use any bb cream/makeup, so that I can just liberally slather on more sunblock every 1-2 hours. Because otherwise, how to reapply sunblock on top of bb cream/makeup ah? I googled it and the best answer I got was to reapply powder with spf... not good enough for me. 

The amount of sunblock is important too. Too much sunblock MIGHT cause clogged pores etc, but too little sunblock CONFIRMED will cause photoageing! So when you apply sunblock, make sure you squeeze/pour out a lot a lot! Apply generously on your face and neck and décolletage. 

As for the body, I am lazier la. When I am not going out, I don't apply sunblock at all, just a regular whitening moisturiser. When I do go out, I use Nivea moisturiser with SPF 25. But when I will be under the sun for extended periods, I apply Sunplay SkinAqua, SPF 50+ and PA+++. It's suitable for the face as well and it's waterproof, so I also use this when I go swimming. 

Lastly, my Palmers lip balm has SPF 15. I tried to use a hand cream which had SPF, but I couldn't find one which I liked. So now I TRY to apply the waterproof sunblock first, then I use regular hand cream. But I admit I tend to forget. Neither do I apply sunblock on my legs (unless for swimming or very-out-in-the-sun activities). Argh. I know I am being lazy and a few years later I will probaby regret it and then have to spend more effort + time + money to rectify this : /

Oh yes! Physical blockage is in fact the best, i.e. caps/hats/sunglasses/clothes. I have bought a couple of hats and also one sun-protective long-sleeved top. Things to note: the hats should have wide wide brims and cover your neck and ears. If possible, do get special hats which are sun protective (actually quite common and easy to find - I bought one at BHG Bugis Junction for $26). The sunglasses should be big too and cover your eyes well plus a good part of your face. Can't remember the term, but the sunglasses should be of good quality and can block the rays in order to protect your eyeballs too.   

Don't worry about looking strange wearing a big hat and big sunglasses... I will be wearing them too! And the more of us start to wear them, the less strange we will be! (think Japan)