So much to talk about on the subject of SPF. I did 3 events the week before last and guess what I got asked the most questions about? Yup, SPF. It’s clear that there is an understanding of its importance in skincare - but it still seems there’s a way to go to actually making it a habit.

One of the most powerful motivators I’ve come across is the recent data from a study suggesting that sunscreen helps repair wrinkles, uneven texture and tone. [1] That’s right. Before you’ve even gotten going with eye cream, serums and retinoids. Your little old sunscreen can help start to undo the signs of premature ageing. So now you have a tool that allows repair to happen whilst preventing harm from additional UV, the culprit behind 80% of premature skin ageing. Doesn’t that blow your mind?

The rationale is simple. Skin is designed to protect us from the dangers of UV. But that takes up resources, that could be otherwise better invested. So when we apply sunscreen properly as little as once a day as we go about our working lives, the protection it affords us allows those resources to be allocated to the business of repair and regeneration. That means less wrinkles and pigment. And the younger you start this habit, the greater the capacity there is for this to happen. I think this is very good news...

[1] Daily Use of a Facial Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Over One-Year Significantly Improves Clinical Evaluation of Photoaging. Dermatol Surg. 2016 Dec;42(12):1354-1361.