at 18 you won't have any photo damage if you not have been exposed very much.
Eva: For us living in Scandinavia, if the skin really repair UV damage why do so many scandinavian people have photo damage, I mean there is virtually no UV index at all between October and March so the skin has a lot of time to heal.How long may it take to reverse?
also TIO2 and Zink oxide are not very healthy according to the swedish government apparently penetrating the skin and produce free radicals which may cause cancer. So what kind of sunscreen do you use and what do you recommend?
Hi Shonghow!
Let me say some words about being 18 and having photo damage:
It is already there, BUT not visible! And it should stay that way (I mean, invisible!)
Second: photo damage is already detectable at the age of 10 :( (Even in children who live in Scandinavia with not Scandinavian skin (Skin type III f.ex) North of the Polar Circle AND always using good sunscreens every day between April and Sept. :(
About Scandinavians:
In the South of Scandinavia, South of Trondheim the UV index is max 6 (for a very few days a year), otherwise it is about 4.5-5 in the summer.
As you correctly write "virtually no UV index at all between October and March". But there is one problem with us Scandinavians:
Our skin is poorly pigmented (Skin typeI or II; no need for that in a climate like this) but we do not let our skin "be" in the climate it was designed for.
We have a lot of money and we travel a lot to Southern parts of the world. Areas that are designed for people with much higher pigmentation in their skin (Skin Type IV-VI)
So basically we are very good at destroying our skin fast! Solarium use in the winter, unprotected sun exposure in the Scandinavian summer and usage of bad sunscreens in Southern parts of the world.
I always had a theory about our skin: we are fully capable of protecting ourselves without any help (sunscreen, antioxidants) as long as we keep ourselves to the promises we are designed to live in.
Basically, as long as you don't put your skin out in direct sunlight only if you must, you'll keep your youth(fulness) for a very long time.
Relying only on sunscreen is not a good idea either. They cannot protect you fully (they are not even correctly applied!).
The key is to avoid sun exposure!
If you cannot
Cover up
use a broad-rimmed hat+ big sunglasses
and on areas it is not possible to cover:
High SPF sunscreen with very good UVA protection thickly applied.
Never put your skin intentionally in the sun (suntanning on the beach or in the park is a big NO NO).
People who avoid sun in their life by choice or by coincidence, look always younger, less lined later in life (30+), than people who worship the sun.
We in Scandinavia have not understood this yet :(
ZnO and TiO2 is fully approved sunscreen agents in the EU.
TiO2 does have some oxidizing activity when UV-light however there are coated versions of it that are widely used in sunscreens today. (Chemical sunscreens have also oxidant-activity!).
ZnO is a physical filter that both scatters and filters UV-light. Its filtering abilities are in the whole UVB and UVA range! (As long as it is not micronized!)
It has extremely low oxidant activity in the skin. It is also used as a soothing ointment for very sensitive skin, eczema and babies!
It is whitening, and the whiter it is the better filtering abilities it has in the UVA2-UVA1 range.
I still believe that a good sunscreen with high UVA protection should contain ZnO (preferably with TiO2 or chemical sunscreen agents in the UVB and UVA range to boost its UVB/UVA protection).
It is not common in the EU to have sunscreens with ZnO, EU manufacturers prefer AVO (which looses its efficiency in UV light, like all chemical filters do).
ZnO does not decompose in UV light! The most photostable filter besides TiO2, Mica, Iron Oxide.
I would recommend EU-made sunscreens, particularly:
Bioderma Photoderm Minerale SPF 50+ (UVA22) with TiO2, ZnO
Bioderma Photoderm SPF 50+ (UVA 35) with Tinosorb S+M, AVO, OC
La Roche Posay AntHelios SPF 50+ UVA 28 (creme, fluide) with OC, TinosorbS, Mexoryl SX+XL, AVO
Avene Spf 50+ with OMC, Tinosorb S+M (could be better with adding Ethylhexyl Tirazone and ZnO / AVO)
Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF30 and 50 (could be better with adding 5-20% ZnO)
Nivea DNAge sunscreen Spf 50 (could be better with adding 5-20% ZnO)
Nivea DNAge sunscreen Spf 30 but only with adding 10-20% ZnO!
Aco/Cosmica: Spf 50 (OC, Tinosorb S+M, AVO) (At Scandinavian Pharmacies)
(I use long sleeved-topps and a hat every day! and on my face and hands:
Bioderma Photoderm Minerale SPF 50+ together with Avene Spf 50+ because I react to OC.
I also use my own sunscreen (SPF50+, UVA 54) particularly when I cannot avoid being outside longer (30min+) with Tinosorb S+M, TiO2, OMC, Ethylhexyl Tirazone, Polysilicone 15, ZnO 20% in a silicone base.
In the winter (Oct-March) I also use Nivea Light Feeling Sensation SPF30 with 20% ZnO added which gives a very nice semi-matte finish to the skin).
I beleive that it is enough to use ONE sunscreen and reapply it every 2 h throughout the day for most people.
But I am a freak so I always use several sunscreens on top of each other to make sure I apply enough. It is not necessary for most!
It is also very important to use sunscreen every day on your face! It should be a good habit, hence it is equally important to choose a sunscreen you personally like! Even if the UVA protection is poorer (Nivea DNAge SPF30) but you like the consistency and the feel on your skin! It'll do you more good than using f. ex. LRP AntHelios Fluide Extreme SPF50+ (with a very good UVA protection) and hate it on your face and end up using less of the product and less frequently and maybe not even every day. You will end up protecting your skin less than using a weaker sunscreen but everyday!
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." Aristotle