­­I love chilling out at the beach during the summer.  On Canada’s west coast, there are lots of beaches to explore.  I found that because I spent so much time in the sun, I was getting some wrinkling and dryness.  Rather than giving up my sunny respite, I started looking for ways to protect my skin from any harmful effects.

Is Moderation the Cure?

This is a message to all of those who love staying outside in the sun for their entire day: it’s bad for you.  Staying out causes premature aging of your skin, wrinkles, and other detrimental effects to the skin.  Sunshine has been directly linked with certain forms of skin cancer, and, if you listen to the experts, you might get the impression that more than five minutes out in the sun will make you burn to a crisp.

While there are considerations to be had for your personal skin care, you don’t have to take such spartan methods to keep your skin safe.  You can safely spend an hour out in the sun, but remember to do it in moderation.  Spending a whole day out in the sun unprotected can cause lingering and damaging effects, and nobody really wants to spend their time recovering from their own fun.

So yes, spend as little time as you can out in the sun and either avoid the problems altogether, or just practice a little self control when it comes to outdoor activities.  You want to make sure that the activities that you do are life long, rather than flashes in the pan.

Covering It Up

Those who don’t understand the importance of getting out and playing probably don’t understand that covering up their skin when they’re outside is absolutely necessary.  I love to use the beach as my personal playground, and when I’m kayaking out on the water, I don’t want the to get burned.  I have found that even a light covering helps out when going outside, blocking the UV rays from landing directly on my skin.  I don’t burn as often, and my skin doesn’t feel gritty when I come inside.

Topical Vitamins

I hate to say it, but covering myself up when I want to go out and play takes away a lot of the fun of going out in the first place.  I’d rather enjoy the sun and protect my body in other ways.  I completely understand that prolonged exposure can bring detrimental effects, but I’d rather enjoy it while I can.

The best way to fight against the sun’s harmful effects is to use Vitamin A, C, and E together.  Many natural skin care products use a combination of all three vitamins, often including natural scents other effects to make it a lot more pleasing.

• Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps to provide nutrition to your skin, maintaining and making it healthier.  Vitamin A includes retinoids and retinol, which boost your immune system and assist your visual system.  Vitamin A, when added directly to your skin, helps your skin by promoting new growth.

• Vitamin C

Vitamin C slows down the effects of the sun on the skin.  When you apply the vitamin C to your skin, the effects of sunburn are reduced, and damage which causes dryness, wrinkles, and lines is repaired.  Keeping that eye toward moderation is best, of course, but applying vitamin C makes your skin a bit healthier.

• Vitamin E

The sun makes your skin age, and vitamin E has the capability to slow down that aging.  Vitamin E controls retinol (vitamin A).  Through the topical use of Vitamin A and E together, you can give your skin that healthy, happy, beautiful feeling.

I found that when I applied some of these topical vitamin creams,  I didn’t have as much trouble with dryness or wrinkling.  It helped smooth out my skin, and made me feel great.  Remember,  you’re just counteracting the effects that were already there, not trying to stay out in the sun a little longer.

Mark Harris protects his skin with products found at www.mysensitiveskincare.com before he goes out to enjoy the many beaches of White Rock, BC on the gorgeous west coast of Canada.  Mark works from home as a successful Internet marketer and a freelance writer, and sometimes steals his wife away for hiking and kayaking.