Reminder to myself: Sun exposure is harmful to skin

What in the world was I thinking when I ventured to walk with my friends the whole 18-hole stretch of their golf game. The benefits I got from the three-hour exercise of walking up and down the hilly golf course of Camp John Hay was not worth the damage it did to my skin.

During a trip to Baguio a few weeks back, my golf fanatic friends insisted that I walked with them while they played to revive my interest in golf. I played golf many moons ago but lost interest in the game when I shifted to the faster, more exciting racket sports like squash and tennis, which I could play in covered courts. Aside from wearing a long-sleeved blouse, tons of high-powered sun block, and a wide brim hat for protection, the harmful UV rays was just too cumbersome for me.

In May, while Manila residents were melting in sweltering 40-degree conditions, Baguio remained pleasantly cool.  The cool breeze camouflaged the penetrating rays of the sun while I walked for three hours with only a light sun block (SPF 15) as my protection. I must admit that the walk was exhilarating and more importantly, the camaraderie I shared with my friends during the walk was so enjoyable. But the damage it did to my skin is another story.

To start with, I already have a mild case of pigmentation on both cheeks, also caused by past exposures to the sun. But a good makeup manages to conceal the mild discoloration on my cheeks.

This time around, the pigmentation became more intensified that it really threw me into a state of panic. It was more than stupidity on my part not to take the usual precautions before exposing myself to the sun.

I was in tears when I called my pharmacist friend Charade Galang who, noting the despair in my voice, assured me that she had the perfect remedy. What a stroke of good luck that she had just finished manufacturing a whole range of mineral organic creams and cosmetics that she will soon sell in her showroom! One of these products is a dark spot corrector. She prescribed to me her Blemish Balm Cream, which is a multi-function cream.  Aside from the SPF, the cream treats damaged skin problems such as melasma (dark pigmentation) and fine lines. At the same time, it acts as a covering when used as a foundation or a makeup base, and can also be used as a day cream.  Its main ingredients are red ginseng plus eight plant extracts, which gives the spot-reducing property of the BB cream.  As one uses it regularly, it erases or lightens the melasma.

Galang explains that she employs the latest nano technology in all her mineral organic products.  Nano technology uses molecular particles so the minute you apply it, it is easily absorbed by the skin on an intracellular level. It goes beyond the usual cosmetic creams because the absorption of the active ingredients is 10 times faster than the old technology.

Galang also recommended her organic mineral compact, which I now use on top of her BB cream.  Its sebum control property is supposed to make the skin oil and blemish-free. In her various products, she incorporates green tea powder as it has polyphenols to revitalize the skin, squalene to provide ultra moisture, and licorice, which is a melanin inhibitor.

I am now two weeks into her program and already I see the improvement on my skin.  But now I have a big sign on my mirror as my constant reminder: “Exposure to the SUN is harmful to the skin.   From now on, I will do my sports indoors or after sunset. 

Charade Galang’s products may be bought or ordered at her showroom Rochar Cosmeceuticals Inc., third floor, Bonifacio Technology Center, 31st St. corner Second Ave., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, or call 819-5932-34. Look for Melina or Val.