Winter Skin Protection: Sun Damage Isn’t Just a Summer Problem!

Skincare expert Jill Scalisi shares how to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays in the winter—and why you need to protect yourself in the first place.

-The Betty Editors

winter skin protection

Who doesn’t love being in the sun? Catching some rays triggers the production of endorphins, helps with the production of vitamin D, and can help combat the depression known on as Seasonal Affective Disorder (brought on by lack of exposure to sunlight in the winter). But if the sun does all these good things, why does it get such a bad rap? Is it really as bad as people say? The answer is yes—and for more reasons than you think.

Obviously, staying out of the sun completely just isn’t realistic. But luckily, there are plenty of alternative ways to get that “healthy glow” without all the negative side effects. Jill Scalisi, skincare expert and founder of the breakthrough skincare line Scalisi Skincare, recently shared her need-to-know facts about why you need to protect your skin from the sun in the winter as well as in the summer, how you can keep your sun-kissed look throughout the year, and more. Read on for Jill’s best tips and tricks!

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1. UVA rays go through glass. Yes, through your car window, your kitchen window, or the window in your office. It is for this reason that daily protection (indoor and outdoor) throughout the year is a necessity.

2. 90 percent of the changes to your skin that you attribute to aging is actually caused by the sun. Instead of turning back the clock once the damage has been done, try to slow it down and prevent the damage before it happens. The sun causes wrinkles – plain and simple – if ever there were a more motivating fact to wear SPF 30 then this is it.

3. A tan in and of itself isn’t bad—but, how you get the tan in the first place can be VERY bad. Any tan caused by the sun is because you radiated yourself. Yes, this sounds bad because it is: UV rays stand for “ultra violet radiation”—and radiating yourself is bad.