When it comes to knowing a thing or two about skin cancers and skin problems in general, you can count me somewhat of an experienced commentator. I am one of those people who, although generally healthy, tends to exhibit all my anxiety and any other health conditions – in my skin.

I’ve had experience with it all. From hormonal acne in my tweens and teens (and beyond), to basal cell carcinomas that started to appear in my twenties. I’ve also experienced yeast rashes, heat rashes, hives from nerves, and multiple bouts of itchy poison oak and poison ivy. 

If You’re a Fan of Exfoliating, Be Extra Cautious About Sun Exposure

My first experience with professional exfoliation was a microdermabrasion treatment that I got a special deal on in my late twenties. I’ve always had the lingering effects of bumpiness, pitting and discolorations from my frequent bouts of teen acne.

One Example of Serious Exfoliation | Microdermabrasion

So I wanted to see if microdermabrasion, which is a milder form of the deeper treatment dermabrasion, would help with the scarring. I also thought it couldn’t hurt to see if it had any impact on the crows feet and other fines lines I was starting to see come into view on my facial skin.

So I booked a few treatments. They were booked about a week apart, and I think it was a series of 3 or 4. The process involved a tiny device that blew sand crystals out on to the skin, then sucked them back up, along with any debris like dead skin that came up in the process.

What you were left with was a fresh layer or skin. Essentially microdermabrasion, and other treatments like it, take a thin layer or skin cells off. They reveal brighter, smoother skin. The downside to that is that they also take away some of the natural barrier your skin has to sun damage off in the process.

This new, fresh skin is very susceptible to sun damage. So you have to be extra careful and vigilant to protect this new skin from the sun’s damaging rays. You can tell this is a passionate subject - we wrote about this issue of sun protection after exfoliation previously 

Not only do you have to apply extra sun protection, but you should also be aware of the hours you are out in the sun for at least a week after a treatment, avoiding the high sun hours of 11 through about 2:00 or 3:00 PM, depending on where you live and how close you are to the equator.

BBL (Broadband Light Therapy)

Broadband light therapy, otherwise known as BBL treatments, although they are laser treatments, they still expose fresh skin by targeting discolorations and sunspots. There can be some sloughing off of the skin in affected areas after a BBL treatment, which means you have fresh, exposed skin.

You are advised to load up on sunscreen after one of these treatments. In fact, you are slathered with a 50 plus SPF cream before you even leave the office to see the light of day. Related: BBL (Broadband Light) Therapy Part I

Other Laser Treatments, Dermaplaning and Resurfacing Types of Treatments

All of the above-mentioned types of treatments involve exfoliation in some form. These treatments are nonsurgical ways to help the skin appear fresher, smoother, and more alive. They also reduce pigmentation issues like age spots, sun spots, sometimes melasma, and general issues like blotchy or uneven skin tone.

The way they achieve this is by encouraging additional, accelerated skin cell turnover. This is just another fancy way to describe exfoliation. It is another case where you want to take extra care, time and an increased amount of product, to help protect your vulnerable skin from UV exposure.

Ways to Get More Sun Protection Without Feeling Sticky, Goopy or Weighed Down

Some of my favorite ways to increase sun protection on my face don’t involve single-purpose SPF lotions and creams. They actually involve makeup! Related: Best Multipurpose Way to Protect Your Face from the Sun

My favorite way to get extra sun protection is actually with makeup. It’s something I wear every day anyway, and it’s more for the sun protection aspect than anything else that I wear it. Otherwise, I would completely forget to apply SPF every day.

My foundation actually has a 15 SPF component in it. Not only does it help even out my complexion, but it’s my way to apply the daily SPF that my face needs and ensure that I’m adequately protecting my vulnerable facial skin every single day without fail.

After I apply the foundation, I have a translucent, loose powder that I sweep over my face that also has an SPF of 15. I focus it a lot on my prominent, sun-exposed parts of my face like my nose, my forehead and hair line, and the sides of my face that get so much sun exposure when riding in cars.

I also have a cover stick that naturally provides sun protection due to the physical barrier it puts between your skin and the sun (it’s a thick, mineral based stick). I swipe this on my hairline where I’ve tended to see the most basal cell’s form, as well as on my nose and sometimes on the sides of my face if it’s an especially sunny day.

Overall, you should wear sun protection on your exposed skin daily. However, it is much more important to increase this practice if you ever partake in any type of exfoliation treatments.