Here’s the thing. All those expensive lotions and potions you spend so much money on? They’re not worth the pots they sit in if you don’t apply sunscreen religiously every day, literally come rain or shine over your moisturiser and under your make-up. UVA rays from the sun are the biggest cause of premature ageing in the skin; so if you don’t want to fork out on expensive products and procedures in the years to come, sunscreen is the most important weapon in your skincare arsenal. Ok, you may have heard this before but it’s easy to forget – especially when it’s not particularly hot outside.
The paramount importance of sunscreen was a point Dr Marko Lens of skincare brand Zelens wanted to hammer home when he presented to a group of journalists at The Royal Society of Medicine last month. He began his presentation by playing Baz Luhrman’s 1998 hit Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen, song itself taken from a 1997 Chicago Tribune column by Mary Schmich who notably states, “If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.” (Incidentally, she also says, “Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.” Sigh …)
His gripe was with the current SPF marking as a way of knowing the efficacy of sun protection products. But this, he explained, is only an indicator of a product’s protection against UVB rays (the “burning” rays and the cause of non melanoma skin cancer) and not UVA (the “ageing” rays which are also linked to cancer). Hence you need to look out for sunscreens which are “broad spectrum” as these will offer vital protection against these latter rays too. Your sunscreen also needs to have a photo-stable formula (another thing the SPF marking on a product won’t tell you) so that the UV filters won’t break down so quickly when exposed to sunlight.
And on that note, Dr Marko introduced his latest product – a sunscreen which is both broad spectrum and photo-stable and which also helps repair the skin from previous damage. Using micro-encapsulation technology – which is less likely to irritate the skin – Zelens Daily Defence Sunscreen contains Endonuclease to help accelerate DNA repair, together with powerful anti-oxidants Vitamins E and C.
But the pièce de resistance is a special Botanical Antioxidant Complex containing active molecules for six different plants to prevent the formation of hazardous free radicals (unstable molecules which attack healthy tissue) caused primarily by UV exposure. Last but not least it contains good old hyaluronic acid to keep skin plumped and moisturised, while the formula itself is light, absorbs quickly and is non-greasy.
If we could offer you one anti-ageing product to invest in for the future, this sunscreen just might be it.
by Viola Levy
Zelens Daily Defence Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 is £55 available from SpaceNK