90% Of Aging Is From This One Thing. Prevent It Now.
It ain’t just genes.
by The Candidly Team
All this time we thought aging was a direct result of how many trips we’ve taken round the sun. Turns out, it’s more about how much time we’ve spent directly in it.
That’s right. According to the EPA, “up to 90 percent of the visible skin changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun.”
And while we all sort of semi-know this, we might not fully conceptualize what that means. So let’s do it visually, shall we?
Take a look at this photo of a truck driver whose right side was the side that faced the sun throughout his 28-year career:
Jarring isn’t it?
We bring this up now, because many of us forget the sun exists as soon as summer ends. But it’s still there on our crisp, autumn coffee dates and our glary winter walks.
And most of us who are now concerned with aging are also at an age where our parents’ in-the-dark attitudes about sun damage are taking a toll. We’re not just talking about looks, of course, but skin cancer.
We were personally alarmed to find out that “more new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. than new cases of breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer combined,” according to the EPA. “One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.” And less surprisingly, “unprotected exposure to UV radiation is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer.”
The good news is the same things that protect us from skin cancer are the ones that help with anti-aging. Regular and proper use of sunscreen can “reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by about 40 percent, and lower your melanoma risk by 50 percent,” reports the Skin Cancer Foundation. And ultimately, SPF is one of only 3 anti-aging products that are really shown to do anything to prevent wrinkles, sagging, and age spots.
All that said, we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t leave you with some of our favorite go-to’s for sun protection. Easy, non-greasy, non-white casty things that have made wearing sunscreen less of a to do.
And here they are:
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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