In short,  YES!!!!

Especially if anti-aging is important to you. 

Most of us should know by now the effects our Australian Sun has on our skin and how much we put our skins through when we decide to have a day at the beach or by the pool sipping cocktails. 

You may think, so what if I walk away a little red, or flush, I'll end up with a tan. And in the short term, you will.... However, LONG TERM, it isn't that pretty. If we look at our parents and our parents parents, those who were unlucky to have SPF at their disposable and baked in coconut oil. They are paying for it now and in a BIG, EXPENSIVE WAY!

Expensive in clinic treatments shouldn't need to happen if you look after your skin. 20-30 years from now, can you honestly say "I have never been burnt?". When we look at our parents, we can see what the sun does. Its given them uneven skin tone, texture, fine lines & wrinkles. And like most, they are in the clinic trying to make themselves look more youthful... 

The Effects of the sun is a chain reaction.
To much sun = break down of Collagen & Elastin = premature ageing!
The UVA rays can reach as far down as the dermis, even when cloudy, which can activate the release of enzymes that start to breakdown your Collagen & Elastin... 
The UVB rays are the rays your "feel". The ones that burn. Even though this guy burns, it only harms the top layers of the skin. UVB is a littler nicer, as its only at its strongest when the sun is HIGH in the sky (between 11am - 3pm) Unlike UVA, she is pressent all day!

Here is your warning, LOOK AFTER YOUR SKIN NOW!! Wear that SPF NOW!!! Protect yourself now. 

This leads to the most common EXCUSE I hear in Clinic... 

"I hate how it makes me sweat and then it makes my make-up sit funny" 

And my response back to you is simply, your doing it wrong! Now, before you get on your high and mighty, hear me out... 

For some of you, this may be the first time hearing this, but you need to let your products fully absorb into the skin BEFORE apply your make-up.
Yes, that's correct, let your products do there job before applying make-up. 

This will allow your products to work their magic, boost hydration, plumpen the skin, treat breakouts / acne etc. and allow the SPF time to create the protection barrier. 

Which brings me to my next EXCUSE I hear...

"But my make-up has SPF in it, shouldn't that be enough?"

Unfortunately, no. It is better then wearing no SPF at all, but its not enough. To gain the most protection from the sun, you need to re-apply throughout the day. 

To use an SPF correctly, is your best defence against the sun. Re-apply ever 3-4 hours depending on the strength and type of SPF. 
My personal recommendation is Physical SPF (Zinc & Titanium). They sit on top of the skin and reflect the rays away. 
Chemical SPF (Tinosorb S & M, Mexoryl SX, Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Avobenzone)  absorb into the skin, which allows the UV rays in, for the radiation to neutralise within the skin tissues. This in turn creates trauma to the cells which doesn't help the anti-aging. 

So, from here, you can decide what the solution will be for you.

Courtney