Sun, Skin and Napa Valley

It is definitely not easy to imagine the rolling hills of the Napa Valley without the warming benefits of long sunny days. But why then, is it so easy to imagine a trip to the Wine Country without adequate sun protection? Probably because navigating through the amount of sun products available on the market today can be overwhelming – to say the least.

The following Q & A’s are intended to shine some light in the jungle of SPF, antioxidant, waterproof and new FDA’rules, in order to create a memorable Napa Valley experience without the burning memories of a sun overdose.

Q & A about Sun and the Skin in Napa Valley

Q: What are free radicals and how do we protect ourselves from free radical damage?

Greenhaus Day Spa: Free Radicals are molecules responsible for aging and tissue damage. A chemical reaction occurs to break the bond between paired healthy molecules causing damaged molecules or free radicals which act as scavengers causing a chain reaction resulting in the breakdown of skin tissue and collagen, aging the skin. Examples of free radicals could be pollution such as smoke, car exhaust etc. and are closely related to oxidative stress. Antioxidants slow or completely inhibit the action of free radicals on the skin.

Q: How do Antioxidants help to protect my skin?

Greenhaus Day Spa: SkinCeuticals talks about Sunscreen being the first line of defense protecting the skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays shielding the outside of the skin. Even the best broad-spectrum sunscreens can only block or inhibit up to 55% of UV-induced free radical damage. So the second line of defense for your skin is the use of antioxidant protection for the inside of your skin. Application of a topical antioxidant will strengthen the skin’s natural defense system to help neutralize UV-induced free radicals, environmental aggressors and the breakdown of collagen.
So when combining the use of an antioxidant serum with a sunscreen you can have the most comprehensive protection against photo damage and skin cancer.

Q: What do I most need to know about sun exposure?

Greenhaus Day Spa:

• Limit your time in the sun,the sun’s rays are their strongest between 10am and 2pm.
• Wear clothing to protect when possible, long sleeves, broad rimmed hat, sunglasses.
• Use a water resistant sunscreen if swimming or sport activities.
• Re-apply your sunscreen every 2 hours even if it is water resistant.
• If you have had too much sun, cover your body or get out of the sun completely.

Q: What are the more effective sunscreen ingredients I should look for?

Greenhaus Day Spa: Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are considered to be the best mineral sunscreen ingredients. Quality sunscreens use smaller particles of these ingredients to give a smoother, more sheer application. These “mineral filters,” block harmful UV rays and are considered to be a physical block, are non allergenic, and maintain protection with prolonged exposure.


New FDA rules -
New FDA rules effective in 2012 call for all sunscreens that claim to provide UVA protection, or broad-spectrum protection will undergo intensive broad-spectrum test requirements which will aid consumer’s in determining the amount of UVA protection in addition to the amount of UVB protection. Only sunscreens with an SPF value of 15 or higher can make claims regarding anti-aging and or cancer prevention on the label.
In addition, any products with an SPF value 2-15 will be labeled with a SKIN CANCER / SKIN AGING ALERT warning, and can only make claim sunburn protection.

Included in the new FDA rules, sunscreen labels will be limit the highest amount of SPF stated to a SPF50+. This should take some of the confusion away in regard to how high an SPF needs to be, and how much protection you are really getting.

Sunscreens that claim water resistant must state whether the product remains effective for 40 minutes or 80 minutes with swimming or sweating. There will be no more sunscreens claiming to be waterproof, sun proof, or sun blocks as this could be overstating the effectiveness of the product.

Q: What sun protection to you recommend for the Wine Country?

Greenhaus Day Spa: Our staff recommends SkinCeuticals topical antioxidant to prevent damage from the INSIDE and a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect the OUTSIDE of your skin on a daily basis, especially here in sunny Wine Country. If you live here in the valley, or are just visiting to enjoy all that Napa has to offer, make sure you are well protected from the damaging affects of the sun, both INSIDE & OUT.