- Avoid the Sun: Sunscreen is great, but if you can avoid long exposure to the sun, that is even better. Don’t spend a whole day at the beach in the beating sun. Limit your time out in the sun and your skin will age better.
- Wear Protective Clothing: If you have to be in sun, do your best to keep the sun off your body. Wear long sleeved shirts and pants. A hat with a wide brim is great to protect your head and your face, neck and shoulders.
- Wear Sunglasses: Your eyes can be damaged by UV light as well as your skin. Be sure to wear sunglasses that protect against 99% or more of UV rays.
- Avoid Artificial Tanning: Sunlamps and tanning beds are just asking for trouble –- don’t use them. They will damage your skin and speed your skins aging while increasing your risk for skin cancer. Artificial tanning lotions and make-up actually do provide some minimal protection from UV rays. But the effect is minimal and short-lasting. Your skin may look darker, but you have none of the protection of a real tan (and people often don’t bother with sunscreen and tanning make-up together because it just ends up a creamy mess). Finally, avoid anything marketed as a tanning pill. These pills basically turn your skin orange and the long-term safety of high doses of tanning pills is unknown.
- Check Your Skin: Almost of 50% of people who make it to age 65 will have skin cancer in their lifetime. You need to check your skin often for any signs of skin cancer as well as see a dermatologist regularly for a skin check. Learn how to do a skin self-check.
Source(s): National Institute on Aging. National Institutes of Health. Age Page: Skin care and Aging.
