I look back at my years of mindless sunbathing with amazement. I waved away SPF protection as overly cautious and went in hard with the baby oil. Instead of coming out of the midday sun, I didn’t move a muscle as it was prime tanning time. I loved the blazing heat on my body which would get so hot, tiny water blisters would appear on my skin. I marvelled at the physical metamorphosis; the more freckles the merrier and the natural high from vitamin D overload was a buzz.
Do I regret it? No, because mistakes are how we learn, but I do wonder what my skin would have looked like if I’d stayed in the shade, just a little. The broken capillaries around my nose that drive me crazy wouldn’t be there, the loss of elasticity wouldn’t be so noticeable and I wouldn’t have to use skin-bleaching creams to fade age spots. If you truly want to reverse and protect against sun damage you have to use SPF (minimum 30) every day. Even in winter. It’s taken me a long time to realise this, mainly because if I can feel, taste or see the cream on my skin – I’ll use it once, but never again. Gone are the days of thick, white pastes, so my advice is to find one that feels as comfortable to wear as your favourite day sun cream. It should become part of your skincare routine rather than an optional add-on. Be generous: we never apply enough SPF, so when you dispense your usual amount, add a dollop more and remember your ears, bridge of your nose and neck.
