After 40, sun protection is imperative

Sun protection is important at every age, but it’s even more important in your 40s and 50s because you are much more vulnerable to sun exposure than you once were.

If you’ve been regularly visiting your cosmetic dermatologist for any kind of skin resurfacing treatment, then the outer layer of your skin is much thinner than it once was, making sun protection the only viable defence against serious skin damage.

SPF 15 is the absolute minimum you should consider. Ideally, you should consider SPF 30. If you spend a lot of time in the sun during the summer months, you can go straight away to SPF 30 formulation, because anything less might be putting your skin at risk. The best SPF products contain protection against both UVA (the aging rays) and UVB (the burning rays). Some of the key ingredients you should be looking for in any SPF protection include: avobenzone, titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.