When I turned 30 I started to notice fine lines appearing and realized I needed to do something to take care of my skin in the garden.  A lot of times youre working in hot and dry conditions with the sun beating down on your face and body.  So after much research and many products I have the minimum 4 things you should be doing for your skin in the garden.  And for you skin care pros out there I have one you might not of heard of as number 3 and one that you definitely haven’t as number 4.

So starting with the very basics for newbies, create a physical barrier between you and the sun. This means wearing longs sleeve, a wide brimmed hat and pants not shorts.  Stopping the sun from hitting your skin is the first place is the best way to avoid aging sun damage and skin cancer.  I know for people in warm climates this is a not go so wait around for number 4, I have an alternative for you.

The next thing you need to do is wear a combination moisturizer/sunscreen every day on your face. Literally every day.  If its overcast, if its only for an hour, absolutely every freaking day!  I use the LaRoche Posay because I have dry skin and this is a little heavier to fix that. If you have oily skin the Cerave works great. The moisturizer helps keep your skin hydrated when you’re sweating and dealing with dust and wind.  It also has the amazing benefit of filling in fine lines on your face making you look younger.  The sunscreen you want to be broad spectrum and a minimum of spf30.  This will prevent photo aging, ie wrinkles and liver spots as well as protect against skin cancers. Mineral sunscreen do work better but honestly they suck to wear, you get chalk on your clothes and everywhere And my favorite advice I ever heard, your face starts at your boobs!!!! Don't be one of those people with a young face and a turkey neck!!! So apply product all the way down!

Now for one you may not have heard of, Retinal. This is a magic drug for skin even though in essence it’s just vitamin A.  Through numerous large scientific studies, Retinal has been shown to reduce fine lines, improve skin texture and lower the incidence of skin cancer. Now it can be tricky picking one out because the market is just flooded with these product but screen out all that noise because the only one that matters is Tritonian. Unlike all the other retinols, this one is prescribed by your doctor and comes under many generic brand names like Retin-A and Renovo, and Altreno.  Why do you ask is it prescribed by a doctor? Because the FDA says it actually does something where as they dont regulate the cosmetics industry because they dont believe those products have any active affects. Let that sink in, they don’t do anything.  You want to use Tritonian at night because sunlight breaks down the molecule.  Use it two to three times a week slowly going up in strength and always moisturize a couple minutes after using. You also have to be extra religious in using your moisterizer spf because it can make your skin extra sensitive to UV rays.

My final One, that no one has heard of is a leaf from the Amazon that was only discovered to have therapeutic effect in the nineties is Polypodium.  Now I’m not one of those people trying to push chelated silver or whatever, this supplement has a strong scientific base of study by the National Institute of Health.  What polypodium does is prevent sunburn.  It raises your skin’s internal tolerance to UV exposure so you can go outside all day without risk of burning on your arms and legs.  It's not clear if polypodium protects against photo aging so still put on facial moisterizer/sunscreen. But this is a game changer for preventing sunburn which leads to cancer. Nicotinamide, the other active ingredient in this supplement is a proven skin cancer fighter.  This will lower your chances of catching numerous skin cancer by 10 to 15 percent.  It also improves your skin barrier helping you fight off irritants.  Now this chemical has also been implicated as an anti -along with two other chemicals. Honestly, the science isn’t there yet so don’t count on that effect.  So the polypodium/nicotinamide supplement only works while you’re taking it, meaning if you don’t take a pill that morning you will not have any its protection that day. I’ve heard of possible headaches from this supplement but my husband, friend’s and family have all taken it and not had this side effect.  If you’re worried the main thing to do is take this with food in the morning and if you are getting headaches, discontinue use.

I hope you learned something about how to protect your skin when out battling your garden in the elements. If any of these tips were news to you, send them to a friend because these tips are good for everyone!

Products from the video (paid links)

La Roche Posay Moisturizer SPF https://amzn.to/44QZL2v

CeraVe Moisturizer SPF https://amzn.to/4k8P8g2

Polypodium Nicotinamide https://amzn.to/3SExGnP