Not all #sunscreens are effective and some can actually do more harm than good. Watch our interview to learn more about the formulations used in the Facial Rejuvenation Clinic's #SkinFit #sunblocks and how they protect your #skin.

1. Hi, Fiona Lewis here from the Facial Rejuvenation Clinic and today we have with us Lee
Wood who is the medical product developer for our new SkinFit range. Today we’re going to be talking to Lee about UV protection in your skincare regime.
Now Lee, the other day I was on YouTube and I came across a video that showed through some special lens what your skin looks like to the sun and I was just gobsmacked at how damaged peoples faces were. You could actually see all the sunspots that don’t actually appear and the precancerous spots as well. Did you see that video?
Lee: I haven’t seen the video but as a clinical educator I’ve used UV lamps to look at people’s skin. So you can actually show people the sun damage that has not reached the surface yet and it’s pretty mortifying. So you might have five spots in an area, but underneath 25 of those are just waiting to come through. They’re the effects of our lifestyle and the UV rays.
p. 1 Little Known Facts About Sunscreen Ingredients

2. Fiona: Yes, and I think in Australia we tend to be a little bit complacent and I know I’ve been guilty of this myself. I’ve been in a rush and couldn’t be bothered to put on any sort of protection on my face. I thought, “No, it’s not that hot today, I’ll be fine.”
I guess because you don’t see the instant results of the damage and because you don’t get burned on that day out you tend to have the opinion, “Oh, everything is fine”. It was definitely a shock when I saw this video on YouTube using the UV light… I thought, “wow I’m never going out without UV protection”.
Lee: Yes, you can get sun damage even from the back door to the clothesline. That was sent to me by one of the dermatologists I’ve worked with over the years. You increase the pigment formation which is a chronic problem in Australia.
No one wants to see the brown spots; that melanocytes that create our melanin, they are activated in a very short period of time. So you may not see it now, but you’ll see it in 10 to
15 years down the track.
Therefore is absolutely essential that everybody applies sunblock. This way you’re protecting your skin and those youthful collagen fibres and structures underneath the skin that support it to keep it plump and voluminous. Also, you’re eliminating the pigment formation and the formation of abnormal cells that then can mutate to legions that need far more invasive treatments later on.
Fiona: Yes, that’s such good advice and I’m guessing some people might be watching this interview and thinking, “That’s it! I’m going to the shops, I’m going to do something about this and
make sure that whatever I’m putting on my face always has some kind of sunblock”.
Not all sunscreens are created equal
But one of the things I want to bring up as a warning to people, is that not all sunscreens are created equal and not all UV protection is equal… So can you just tell us a little bit about your knowledge in this particular area?
Lee: Basically we put them into two categories: so we have physical blocks and chemical screens. p. 2

3. Physical blocking agents form a mesh over the skin and they are zinc and titanium. Chemical screens absorb into the skin and when the UV light hits, they’ll either be a target for UVA or UVB.
When the light hits that target it will actually converted into heat energy in the skin. That has an oxidising effect and sets off a free radical formation within the skin. A lot of people are very reactive to that and that’s causing inflammation, which is not what we want.
We want to reduce as much inflammation as we can in our skin and our bodies so we should not be producing this toxic overload in the skin. Zinc is the best sun blocking agent we can get. We use a micronised zinc that forms this lovely tightly knitted mesh to protect our skin and that will reflect the sun’s rays and repel them off.
It’s really safe (we use zinc for babies bottoms when they get a rash) and it’s part of the skin’s natural antioxidant system. It actually helps with healing within the skin. Is really brilliant and working with the skin rather than putting chemicals onto it. Titanium dioxide works in the same way – it will physically reflect the sun’s rays.
Fiona: So what I’m hearing is by using a Zinc or Titanium dioxide based block, the UV rays don’t actually have a chance to be absorbed into the skin and they are reflected?
Lee: Exactly. You don’t have that free radical cascade of UV light entering the skin at all. Is repelled away from the skin.
Fiona: I find it insane to think that a lot of commercial sunscreens out there that are touted as helping to prevent cancer, but really, they can be contributing to…
Lee: Yes, and we want to get away from the chemical overload in our skin and bodies. A lot of people are becoming wise and want to use the Zinc and Titanium Dioxide, but when you go into a shop, they might name a Sunblock ‘Zinc sun block’, however when you turn it over, you’ll find that it contains Zinc, but it also has a lot of chemicals in it. So, you don’t always know what’s in your sunblock unless you read the label.
Fiona: The other thing I want to talk about is that the general sunscreen that you use on your body is often too heavy to use on your face. A lot of women particularly don’t want anything heavy on their face because they want to wear their makeup, so within the SkinFit range can you tell us what is suitable for the face?
Lee: The Zinc and Titanium Dioxide that we have in the base has anti inflammatories as well, so it’s already pure. So you’re not putting any chemicals or rubbish onto your skin. It also doesn’t oxidise throughout the day. p. 3

4. We have tinted zinc and titanium with a beautiful blend of pure minerals, so it not only looks stunning (you will look great straightaway, which is what a lot of us want), but It’s actually good for your skin.
Fiona: That’s what we want – especially when we’re busy… I know what it’s like for me: I have three children, so I like to keep it as simple as possible. If I can put on a moisturiser that’s also giving me a tint at the same time, that’s just cutting down the steps I have to take.
Lee: Yes, it’s like three products in one. It has essential moisturising agents in it, which exist naturally within the skin, it has a beautiful mineral makeup in it so you get your coverage, and it’s got UV protection factors as well.
What SPF should we be wearing?
Fiona: So what SPF cover does it have?
Lee: Factor 25
Fiona: And what’s the standard for getting the right protection?
Lee: 25 up is wonderful. What SPF factor means is: you burn normally in the sun in 10 minutes and if the SPF is 25 you have 25×10 minutes out in the sun. This way you have 250 minutes protection in the sun.
If you use a 30 SPF, it will give you 30×10 minutes, so 300 minutes out in the sun. So really, when you look at that period of time, there’s very little difference.
With zinc and titanium sunblocks, once you physically remove it, you should reapply. So if you going for a swim, you’ve perspired or you’ve rubbed your face dry, reapply your block because you have removed that barrier.
Fiona: That’s interesting, because I’ve always obviously been under the wrong impression that SPF 15 or SPF 30 related to the strength of the block, not the length of time it lasts… I was actually relating to the length of time the block will last?
Lee: Yes, which also means it’s related directly to UVB. UVB is the burning ray – it’s an indicator – so you will actually see your skin change, usually a while afterwards. That’s what gives you your timeframe, the burning factor. That’s really important too…
So Zinc has the broadest sun blocking spectrum, so it’s not only covers you for UVB, but you’ve also got UVA protection. UVA rays target the deeper layers of the skin, the DNA. So you won’t actually showing signs of burning when you get UVA damage. That was a problem with some of the blocks in the early days – they only protected you from UVB rays. p. 4

5. Fiona: Right, so is it standard these days for sun blocks to cover both?
Lee: Yes, fairly standard. I think the thing to look for is that it must be broad spectrum. Your zinc blocks are already a broad-spectrum sunscreen agent.
Fiona: Fantastic! So what are the products we have in the SkinFit range that cover UV protection?
Lee: We have the three tints – so we have a light, a medium and a dark. They’re quite universal – they’ll blend into the skin’s natural colour tones and give your skin a nice glow.
We also have a clear block, which is great for young men and kids that don’t need any tinted coverage. It just gives your skin a beautiful, youthful glow. Zinc is also a great anti- inflammatory. It is fantastically young kids starting to break out. It will actually help to calm their skin down
Fiona: That’s a great tip! Thank you!
My name is Fiona Lewis have been talking to me about the new skin fit range and we been talking about the importance of having a good UVA and UVB protection is in your general skin care regime. If you’d like to know more about the skin fit range, Please contact the clinic on 1300 88 99 35 535 – or you can visit the store at 263 George Street in the Sydney CBD. p. 5

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