Episode 296: The Importance of Sun Care

A 2022 study found that 28% of people rarely or never wear sunscreen. But today, we're going to talk about how critical caring for your skin in the sun really is. Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA. The podcast, where you'll hear exciting, useful and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field. This episode is brought to you by some brand new products that are going to help you become your best self.  

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Today, we're excited to bring you an amazing conversation between Doctor Brannick Riggs and dermatologist Doctor Amy Wolthoff, all about Sun Care.  

Dr. Riggs: Hello, I'm Doctor Brannick Riggs, Vice President of education at doTERRA International, and I am privileged enough today to have a conversation with Doctor Amy Wolthoff, a board-certified dermatologist who is part of our Scientific and Medical Education Committee. Amy, welcome.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Thank you. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me.  

Dr. Riggs: We're here in sunny Florida to have a conversation about skin. Makes sense.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Right? Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.  

Dr. Riggs: So, Doctor Wolthoff, let's start with the Wellness Pyramid and how that really applies to the skin. And as we look at the Wellness Pyramid, we have this foundation of nutrition and digestion. How does that affect our skin? 

Dr. Wolthoff: Well, I tell my patients that it's all related. We try to specialize, I feel like, so many of the different parts of medicine, but it really is all connected. So really with skin, a lot of the things that we have to focus on is going to have some component of oxidative stress. Things that we're putting in our body when we know we can't avoid all of those, if you live, you're going to be in the sun, you're going to be exposed to pollution, to toxins. When we're fueling our body with things that help with our repair mechanisms, including antioxidants that repair the oxidative damage and stress that we do, free radicals, that's going to show up in the skin.  

A lot of the things that we see in the skin, we are now linking to the gut. There are specific things that we can eat and specific things that can increase repair mechanisms for the skin that come from really everything that we're told to eat. Since we've been growing up, we're just now able to explain when kids ask, why do I have to eat this?  

Dr. Riggs: Fruits and veggies of course, are that healthy inflammatory response we really can support through eating those fresh fruits and vegetables. As you mentioned, that rainbow of colors that comes from their fresh nuts, legumes, all those antioxidants that we get in our food, I think that's amazing. And science is catching up with that now.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, exactly, it's been late. It's a long time coming. I think that the more that we can really realize that protecting the skin and enhancing the skin's quality-function barrier, everything that we have the skin for, it's the largest organ of the body, it's not just sun protection, and it's not just supplementation. It's not just eating well. It really is a lifestyle choice. And I really think the skin (of course I do) is the window to the rest of the body. And it shows those systemic things that can be complemented with a healthy lifestyle and not just directly what you put on the skin.  

Dr. Riggs: So, if we move up the pyramid to movement and metabolism, does movement and metabolism of the cells really affect our skin health? Are there things from that that we can find or beneficial to, to our skin?  

Dr. Wolthoff: I would sound like a bad physician if I said no. Absolutely. You know, movement and metabolism, getting rid of toxins and excretion through the skin, we've got a lot of ways of doing that. When we do sweat, we are excreting toxins and we are allowing the body to purge.  

So that movement portion getting a good workout and having it happen, you know, so many countries in Europe believe in saunas and going in and just sweating for the sake of health. And their philosophy is: when we sweat, we're actually getting rid of things that accumulate in the system. And the same would be true of exercise. Then any form of this is going to be helpful for us to be able to excrete those.  

Dr. Riggs: So next up on the pyramid is rest and manage stress. So does sleeping help our skin? Does managing stress help our skin? Tell me about the relationship of those factors in our skin health. What does the skin look like if we're just not getting enough rest? But what happens to us?  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, you're exactly right. So, sleep is actually more important than we realize for a lot of reasons. That is when our skin is trying to rejuvenate, our skin is always turning over. We're wanting to get off all of those dead skin cells. We want them to be exfoliated and rejuvenated. We want that DNA to be repaired. And a lot of that comes with sleep. And a lot of people don't know that our epidermal cells actually have a circadian rhythm. They respond to sunlight, blue light, those in the same way that the rest of our system can and our brain can.  

And so that can be part of getting your skin in that routine and allowing it to have that rhythm and knowing when it can do its repair functions. Sleep's a huge part of that.  

Dr. Riggs: We tend to think of sleep as this dormant state, but it really isn't in our body. So many things are happening, and probably because we're no longer using that energy for walking around and talking with people and thinking through work problems. So now the body shuttles that energy to other mechanisms while we're sleeping to repair the skin, etc.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, give the skin its time. It needs it. We're using it all day and so give it its time to rejuvenate and renew and refresh and restore.  

Dr. Riggs: That's great. So then we go to reduce toxicity and support detoxification. Now that's a huge thing. We get so many toxins as we around our day products that we're using the environment we live in. Even metabolism creates toxins in our body. So how do we support our body through that reduce toxicity and support detoxification?  

Dr. Wolthoff: Ditch and switch. Get rid of the things that you're putting on your skin that you're absorbing, I mean transdermal, that's what we all love the oils for, is that they can absorb transdermal. And everything that were exposed to has that potential to get in and get systemically into your system and basically cause damage. So a lot of products that we don't realize have toxins, right. And I'm going to talk more about toxins and what is that and how is that defined. But anything that really puts stress on the body, we could consider a toxin. Let's control what we can and get rid of the things that we don't have to be putting on the skin.  

For example, nowadays you'll see things really brag if they don't have parabens, phthalates, things that, you know, we've never even noticed. They're the last word on the on the bottle. But those types of preservatives that have been around for a long time, we're now finding that may have implications and have endocrine disrupting properties mimicking female type hormones, specifically parabens. And we're seeing systemic absorption of sunscreens. It almost sounds like blasphemy for a dermatologist to bring up the implications of wearing a sunscreen.  

But we absolutely are finding, even in lower level application serum levels that are showing we are absorbing those chemicals that are coming from the sunscreen. And so we have to take that and say, okay, if that's just one thing we're measuring, everything we're putting on the skin has potential to get in there and cause a potential toxicity over time.  

Dr. Riggs: You know, I remember one day I was working with my lawn mower. And as I was working with my lawn mower, it was summertime actually. Beautiful day, similar to this. And as I was working with my lawn mower, I had a little bit of a gasoline leak and it got all over my hand. Finish the job, did whatever, went inside, and about an hour later I became really sick. Was not feeling well at all. And was trying to figure out why all of a sudden I wasn't feeling well. It's because my my skin has absorbed so many of those horrible chemicals, and we do that with lots of things that we intentionally put on our body every day that we're not aware can cause problems like this. And then we become challenged.  

Dr. Wolthoff: And I think we're, again, I think we're just beginning to really start to put specific correlations in there. But what we don't know, we don't know. And so why not use the cleanest, best products that we can so that 50 years down the road we're not saying, oh, I used to use that all the time when I was younger. Because we are now educated and I feel like the general public is educated. We want to be healthy in our skin, our body, everything it's a reflection of and really represents who we are and what we're going to put out in the world.  

And I feel like using those clean products, it's not just going to make us look good, right, but it's also going to make us feel good. And we're going to present our best self. And knowing that there is that potential for those unknown things that you can't pronounce. Yeah, we don't really know exactly what they do. When you have products that are available that do give you an option, which we may not have had 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago when my parents told me they were putting sunscreen on me and it was really SPF two oil, which I think you're actually cooking me at the time, right? Not sunscreen. 

Dr. Riggs: It was basting you, not really preventing sun damage.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah. We don't have as many excuses. Right? If you got the other option, why if you have two options, would you not pick the one that we know is clean and that has the less risk?  

Dr. Riggs: I think this really come from a grassroots movement of patients and the public demanding better things rather than unfortunately where it should have come from is the health care system saying, we know better, we should start doing better. But now, you know, we have patients coming to us saying what are the better options? We weren't trained in this, but we now are learning this so that we can offer our patients better choices for the things that they're looking to, as you said, ditch and switch. I want to get rid of some of these bad things, what else can I use? And it's nice to have options. 

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, it's nice to have doTERRA options where you know, they're clean and you know that they're safe and you can put them on not just yourself, but your family and your loved ones. And I can safely recommend them to patients and say, I know that this is not causing any additional toxic load on your body or increase stress because you're going to get it anyway. And so why not give yourself the best fighting chance and not add anything additional to that? With the things you're putting directly on your skin.  

Dr. Riggs: Let's talk about kids for a minute. Children have this really thin skin, that beautiful hair, beautiful glow to it. They're absorbing a lot. So when we're looking at putting things on our children, is that more important? Less important? Where do we put that with children, babies, etc. in how much their skin is absorbing?  

Dr. Wolthoff: I think it's absolutely critical starting at a young age, that you are not, it's cumulative. We know not only UV exposure, but these toxic chemicals, we're finding more and more. It's about that long term exposure. You can start their healthy journey early and it becomes habit and routine. And it's not even a question of what they're choosing to use. But with their immature immune system, with their surface area and the ability to absorb because of their skin still maturing well into childhood. You have an ability to really control what gets put on their skin and what's getting absorbed, which again, can have implications.  

And as parents, we want to do your best for your kids no matter what you're doing. This is a really easy way that you can take care of your kids and put them in a good routine for healthy habits later in life, especially.  

Dr. Riggs:  We have this doTERRA Suncare line, right? And we we know that it's not a chemical based sunscreen and sun care products. It's really a mineral based. And usually this is a family activity, right? We're taking our kids to the beach. We're taking them to the mountains, hiking. We're doing other things in which we would be applying some suncare products. And as we apply, given the choice, our mineral based sun barriers, sunscreens, we're really helping them out for ten, 20, 30 years down the road, not just at the moment dealing with the issue of the sun.  

Dr. Wolthoff: You're exactly right. And in fact, even since I've been in residency, it feels like yesterday, but it's been over ten years ago. They have come out with published studies. Looking at the sun that you get before 30 really can be one of your biggest factors in developing melanoma later in life. And basal cells and of course, uh, the squamous cells is also related to the cumulative sun. But the mineral based is absolutely key especially. Now that we're finding those serum levels even at not high application rates. And seeing those levels in the blood. And we're not sure exactly what the implication is, but I'm not willing to be the guinea pig to find out. And they've also come a long way since when I was a kid. I don't know about you.  

Dr. Riggs: Oh, yeah.  

Dr. Wolthoff: The bright green or pink? Yeah. It was green or pink, you know, and on any given day. But in general, I feel like the mineral component of the sunscreens and knowing how those function and do protect the skin so much better is worlds away from the chemical sunscreens, which used to really be kind of the only choice we had, right?  

Dr. Riggs: Right. When we were kids, that was really it. Or, you know, you go to the beach looking funny.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Right. I think there's an old tennis player that used to, he would play with, just like the white nose. And it was almost like the nose was the only place he needed to protect. I'm going, wow. Okay. But they're making them a lot better. And I can say that with confidence. doTERRA has nailed it on these Suncare products. Not only do they have the mineral sunscreen, but they also have other great benefits with the other ingredients that were intentionally chosen to be put in those.  

Dr. Riggs: Well, I appreciate your comment about, you know, as parents, we want to make sure that we're protecting our children from the challenges that they may experience 20 and 30 and 40 years in the future from our decisions now as parents, I think that's really valuable that we recognize how important it is that we prioritize that in our kids. We want the best for them. We want them to grow up and have long, healthy, wonderful lives. And we get those choices as parents early on in those years before they're making those choices for themselves, to help protect them, to help make sure that they're okay.  

Dr. Wolthoff: And it's not just about the sun. You know, I say I'm obsessed with the sun because I'm a dermatologist, but there's life outside of that. And that includes, as you brought up, the overall wellness. But it's all connected. And so you can really start healthy habits. Now that we're finding out years down the road, make a big difference. 

Dr. Riggs: We've talked about kind of all of those that go into lifestyle with the wellness pyramid. Now let's move up into kind of that health care portion of things where it's informed self-care. What are the things in inform self-care that we can help support our skin. So in dealing with, like, you know, bumps and scrapes that happen to us on occasion?  

Dr. Wolthoff: Well, again, I think it's looking in what you have in your cabinets because you're going to use what's convenient. And making sure it's on hand. And as I stated to you earlier, with the 3 to 6 year old boys, it's on the counter. It doesn't it doesn't leave. It has its own place on the counter, kind of like the remote. But when you're reaching for something to treat those little things, it's the daily stuff that's going to happen to everybody reaching for something like Correct X or reaching for the lavender for skin irritations and having it handy and having it available versus having the other things that if they're not there, you can't grab them.  

Right. So, so ditch and switch, get rid of it, have it there, it works, it works well. And it's something that I use on my kids I've used since birth. When you know something's clean and safe, there's no reason not to have it there and not to replace things that, again, we're finding more things out about some of those preservatives every day.  

Dr. Riggs: Yeah, you bring up a good point. Part of the problem comes is that when we're transitioning from that lifestyle before to now, this more natural lifestyle, but really to have now as that muscle memory. Oh, there's correct X there. That's right. I want to use that right. And making it readily available around your home really helps us to be able to utilize those things. Now let's talk about that that sun issue that we've been talking about. What sort of things do we reach for? You mentioned lavender might be soothing to the skin if we've been out a little bit too long or forgotten to reapply, are there any other things? 

Dr. Wolthoff: You would never do that would you?  

Dr. Riggs: No, no, no, never. As a cowboy growing up, you know, in Arizona, that's never going to happen.  

Dr. Wolthoff: No, no, no. I would share an embarrassing story, but I'd probably get my license taken away. Um, of course it's going to happen. We all get outside and you have fun with your friends and basically can forget to reapply. So that being said, uh, absolutely love the ingredients in doTERRA after sun spray, when your ingredients are clean and you know what those ingredients do and how they work on the processes of the body, in the skin and in soothing irritation and other lumps, bumps and things, then you can use it for other stuff besides just after sun care.  

Yeah, I also recommend just having even like a straight aloe vera plant, which is nice. It's the stuff in the bottle. You're going to get a lot of synthetic stuff. So again here you've got two options, right? You can have, and I'll tell you I actually got a few off of Amazon, three aloe vera plants that I've now planted that it's not hard to get. And you've got that fresh aloe vera that's right there as opposed to going to buy the bottle. That's got a lot of other things in there, but when it's readily available, you'll use it.  

If I didn't have that, then now I'm looking. and going, okay, I've got this old green gel that maybe had been from 1985 under my sink, but I think it is important. And to your point, having it readily available. Not only gets you in the habit of doing it, but then your family sees it, and other people who you're influencing and who you don't realize you're influencing are watching and seeing you make those lifestyle choices because it's all connected.  

Dr. Riggs: My wife and I were recently out of town, and my son went fishing with my father in law. He loves to fish. And of course, grandpa being grandpa was more focused on the fun than, you know, maybe the protection from the sun. And so when we got home, my son had some challenges. One of the things that he found with the After Sun, and he discovered this, that if he puts the bottle in the fridge and then sprays it on, it was so soothing for him and really so about every half hour, 45 minutes, he'd go grab it out of the fridge, spray some more on, rub it in, and found it to be really helpful because that was not only cold, but now he also had the soothing benefits of all that natural chemistry, helping you leave, it being all natural to us.  

We don't have to worry so much about oh my gosh, you put too much on or this is going to be like, they really do well at empowering our children to take care of themselves.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Look what the skin does, like, it builds better people. And we teach our kids big lessons from this. And I think that that's as parents, I don't think there's anyone in the room that would say, I don't want to empower my kids, and I don't want them to use things that are not healthy. Of course we do. And we get busy in our busy lifestyles. And so sometimes, you know, you forget and you go back to those habits. But if it's readily available, it's going to be a lot easier. And then you are going to feel better and they're going to feel better long term. Having those products put on them versus other things that can potentially cause damage down the line.  

Dr. Riggs: Perfect. And then, of course, the top of the pyramid is proactive medical care. This is the space that we live in professionally of, look, I need some help. Who do I go see for this particular challenge? And that's really where we fit in as medical providers, as you know, helping to advise those that have some significant challenges that may be beyond their knowledge or understanding. And that's where we can step in and say, look, this is what this is. We've been educated in this. And here's some options as to how you might deal with this. That's our space within health care.  

Dr. Wolthoff: So and more and more studies come out every day. We're getting more and more evidence based. And that's really what we're taught in medical school. It's evidence based stuff. Well we've got those same types of studies being done for all of these options too.  

Dr. Riggs: You yourself are involved in a program that really is integrative dermatology. Right?  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah. It's a newer program that started a few years ago. And they are board certified dermatologists, teaching board certified dermatologists about alternative options. And what I like about it is, and I think every specialty should have it, it speaks your language. We had to memorize things for a board exam well, ten years ago. It's different than today. And we were not taught a lot of this stuff in medical school and in residency, and maybe it's because we didn't know much of it. And it may be, you know, Western medicine is just a little bit, you know, kind of on its own.  

But it doesn't have to be. Right. And so adding stuff like that in should not be threatening. It really can give us more options, not just for ourselves but for our patients. Yeah. And being able to help them live healthier lifestyles, which is why we do what we do.  

Dr. Riggs: Fabulous. So there's lots of wavelengths of light, right? And tell us about blue light. We're exposed to a lot of blue light in the modern world. Coming from screens, etc. Tell us about how blue light affects us.  

Dr. Wolthoff: So there is there's benefit to blue light, just like there's benefit to sunlight. When it helps with the circadian rhythms, it helps with alertness. It gets us up and ready for the day. But too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. So everything in moderation. Well, we're finding blue light is also the highest energy, visible light. And it's the closest on the electromagnetic spectrum to UVA, type two. And the significance of that is that high energy wavelength penetrates deeper than UVB.  

UVC is blocked by the ozone. UVB is a little bit shorter of a wavelength. It doesn't get quite as deep. UVA are aging rays, but blue light over time, they're now seeing that there's oxidative stress to extended periods of time and cumulative blue light exposure, which is everywhere. Devices, even TVs, all of those that you don't even think about, that we're exposed to nowadays more than ever is something that we are now looking into is how do we protect ourselves from that, not just our eyes. Everyone has seen and heard about blue light screen filters and blue light protection in glasses, but there is also an effect on the skin. 

Dr. Riggs: It affects us over time. And to your point, blue light, there's nothing wrong with it. I mean, as you mentioned, blue light in the morning is great to help us with a good mood throughout the day. It helps us if we get blue light in the morning to help us sleep at night, if we're getting that in the morning and not in the evening. But it's this constant exposure throughout the day causes the issues to us.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Right. And so I've got patients who will tell me, hey, I don't go in the sun, I don't need sunscreen, I don't I'm not sitting out there, I'm not going to the beach. And I have to tell them, well. That's a complicated statement, because even when we're sitting next to something that has reflective properties and for driving in the car, if we're in front of a device, you're being exposed to light wavelengths that can have cumulative damage. And so one thing that I do encourage is even if you're not going to be in the sun and you don't feel like you're outside much, or if you've got darker skin and you don't feel like, well, I don't get burned and the sun doesn't affect me, that you're using a mineral sunscreen and more importantly, a non nano zinc oxide mineral sunscreen, because the non nano zinc oxide actually does block blue light or the micron sized does not.  

And so now you're going to get a full broad spectrum effect. And if it's in your daily routine regardless of where you're at and what you're doing, you're getting that protection. And that includes being in your home, on your computer or your device.  

Dr. Riggs: That's beautiful. So the doTERRA sun face Moisturizer as a daily application, rather than an occasional application where I'm going to the beach or I'm going to the mountains, whatever views that every single day you're protecting your body, you are protecting your skin. 

Dr. Wolthoff: That's absolutely right. And so, you know, I tell people if you do that, you're going to look better than your friends. And they'll ask what you're doing, but it's something that you're not going to see right away and you're not going to get that pink. You're not going to get that burn, but you're actually doing a lot of benefit to your skin over time. That cumulative damage is not able to happen as much. You're still going to get some that penetrates through. And that's also why using sunscreens, you can still get your vitamin D in the sun while you're protecting.  

Dr. Riggs: It's a great point, so.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Don't feel like you can't apply your sunscreen in the morning as part of just your normal routine. It should be just like brushing your teeth and go out there you're going to. Unless you did it completely perfectly with no little pinholes, right? You're going to get your vitamin D from the sun, but you're going to be protecting yourself from a lot of that additional UV damage that we're going to be exposed to every day just doing normal activities.  

Dr. Riggs: So you mentioned a little bit about we talked about blue, you know, the blue light. What about UVA and UVB. You mentioned some things about that. The aging perhaps the UVB causing some redness and some irritation to the skin. Tell us about the UVA and UVB and what that's doing and, and how we might protect ourselves from those things.  

Dr. Wolthoff: So UVB as stated earlier, it's got a little bit of a shorter wavelength. It's UVB is our burn rate. And so that is what normally is going to cause the erythema or the redness. UVA is our aging ray. It's the way that we memorize it on our board exam. But the aging rays actually what over time is going to be breaking down your collagen and elastin. It decreases your barrier function, the thickness of your skin. It's going to cause wrinkles.  

Dr. Riggs: As soon as we break down the collagen. 

Dr. Wolthoff: That's right, that's right. That support. Yeah. And most people don't know we start to break it down faster than we make it after the age of 25. And that's kind of surprising. So when you're accelerating it by not protecting from external sources, you really are not doing yourself any favors when it comes to aging. And looking great as we age.  

Dr. Riggs: 25 seems to be that magic age, right? We really start biologically seeing that we're aging. NAD levels start to go down, collagen starts to break down faster, faster than we're rebuilding it. And we've got this amazing product of MetaPWR Advantage.  

Dr. Wolthoff: I was hoping you were gonna bring that up.  

Dr. Riggs: Let's talk a little bit about that. And maybe the skin benefits that we can receive from using that collagen product, particularly after age 25.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, absolutely. Well one thing I want to mention before we go there is that UVA does come through window glass. So when you're driving, we are also getting that, again, not sitting out at the beach, you're getting that even just driving. And we all get that in daily life. I love my MetaPWR Advantage. I could not speak more highly of that. In fact, having a conversation with Bekah the other day, I said, there's no downside to this. Oral collagen became trendy, maybe a little bit after I got out of residency. So maybe 5 to 10 years ago and we didn't know as dermatologists, we said, hey, you know, patients would ask us, is this doing anything? And we know there's a lot of trends that come and go, and some of them actually have something to it, and some of them are just a waste of money. Well, studies were done pretty quickly because as coming to us as the experts were going, what do we tell our patients? And so the preliminary studies showed, hey, there is a benefit to this. But we hadn't teased out exactly, you know, dosing or exactly what type.  

Well, come to find out, within the past couple of years, studies have been published that within six months of taking consistent collagen supplementation, we are seeing an increased thickness in the dermis. And we've got that proven on actual punch biopsies. This is not hey, you look better, right? Although that is something someone might say to you. But we've got that evidence that is under a microscope that shows us within six months. We're not talking years. This isn't you're putting sunscreen on when you're five, so you look good when you're 65. You're going to see a benefit and feel a benefit sooner than that.  

But what's nice about MetaPWR Advantage, our recommended dose and I say our as the American Academy of Dermatology is 5 to 10g of collagen a day. And when you look at Meta PWR Advantage it has three grams of collagen on that. So even though the package says three grams and you might think, well, my dermatologist told me I needed to take 5 to 10g. You are not absorbing as much of that 5 to 10g. So we have to get you to take a higher level to be able to get the actual recommended amount, to show those differences within six months, and then on into the rest of your life.  

Dr. Riggs: That's amazing. It's an amazing product in many, many ways. But the skin with the collagen is is pretty fantastic, particularly since the science has been so clear about the benefits of collagen supporting that skin, particularly the dermal layer, making sure that it's nice and healthy, supporting good, healthy looking skin throughout.  

Dr. Wolthoff: And that's what you see on the outside. You know, we've got so many types of collagen and it's throughout the entire body. And so if you're seeing that on the outside, just think of all the good it's doing on the inside. And again it's all connected.  

Dr. Riggs: Okay. So Doctor Wolkoff, you're here to help advise us. Tell us about a general skin routine that we would want to implement every day. One of the things that you would recommend to us to say, these are the things you just can't miss every single day.  

Dr. Wolthoff: It's a great question, and it's one I get from patients every day, because it can be confusing to have all these products. You know, this is good for my skin and this is good for my skin. And this was recommended. So where does it fit in and how do I make it part of my daily routine without it being a burden. Mhm. The basic stuff that I recommend, or the basic routine that I would recommend is starting with cleansing. So cleansing your skin morning and evening. And then one easy way to remember how to apply stuff is to go thin to thick. So as you start you can do a toner serum and then get into your moisturizer.  

And usually you're going to use that sunscreen as your last barrier. So I think I think of it as being protective. You're putting on that protective barrier before you go out into this toxic world, protecting yourself and your skin. And it makes it easier to apply because you are going from that thin to thick. It makes it a lot easier to put those things on and then be able to, uh, continue on with either if you wanted to use makeup or anything further from that.  

Dr. Riggs: So that last layer, then would be our doTERRA Sun Face moisturizer to help protect and lay over those other things that we may have used from our doTERRA line.  

Dr. Wolthoff: And that's what's nice about it is it's actually your moisturizer and it's got your sunscreen. So now you're not doing five steps so you're it becomes less burdensome. You're more likely to use it. But that makes it a lot easier to understand. And in absolutely becoming part of that routine and having that benefit, is critical because you're going to be exposed every day, whether you realize it or not.

Dr. Riggs: Tell us about the routine on a day in which you're intentionally going to be out in the sun, you're camping with the family. You're at the beach with the family, you're doing some outdoor activities. In our family, we garden and work in the orchard together. That's just something that we do. So we get quite a bit of sun exposure during those times. What are the things that we could do both from a doTERRA perspective and maybe from a non doTERRA perspective, clothing, etc. to help with those days where there's going to be a larger exposure time?  

Dr. Wolthoff: I'm glad you asked. The SPF factor can be a little bit misleading and there is some controversy on higher versus lower. The main thing is that you need to reapply if you're going to be outside.  

Dr. Riggs: A mistake lots of people make they think, one and done.  

And what's nice with doTERRA, is that you've got the spray so it can be a little bit easier to reapply versus lathering back up and doing the facial skincare routine. But not only that, sunscreen should not be the only way that you're protecting your skin. There are lots of ways that you can be protecting your skin all the way from protective clothing, sunglasses to protect your eyes, hats avoiding sun during certain times of the day if you are going to be, or if you are a little bit more prone to burning and have higher risk factors. Supplementation. We found that within and, of course, our gold standard way, and what we would really like is to get most of your nutrition from diets, eating clean whole foods. But most of us aren't getting all the clean, whole foods that can support all the vitamins and things that we need. So supplementation can help with not only damage and pollutants and toxins and reducing toxic load and free radicals, but it actually has shown in certain foods to have protective effects against the sun, not by itself.  

Dr. Riggs: And you mentioned clothing, right? I know growing up it was always kind of a ball cap for me, but that really only provides shade in one area. I've since gone to wide brimmed hats, right? So I get more sun protection on the shoulders and ears and those sorts of things. Long sleeve shirt. And now the beautiful thing is clothing sometimes now comes with some UV protection. And you can look for that in the clothing store and say, oh, I'm going to buy this long sleeve shirt to work in the garden, it has an SPF 40 or 50, whatever it is to protect me, long pants, you know, making sure that we're covering those areas of our skin that particularly gets high exposure.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Yeah, that's it's really nice that they do that and unfortunately I have a lot of people that say I'm not going to wear that or, they don't have anything that looks good on me. And so another trick that you could do is if you hold it up to the sun, if you can see through it, you're going to have less of a sun protection factor. Even if it doesn't have a tag on it. If you've got something that's a little more solid or darkly colored. Even if it doesn't have that, you're still doing a little bit of benefit to the skin by having a little bit higher of a UPF with that type of clothing and material.  

Dr. Riggs: Well thank you, Doctor Wolthoff. We appreciate your knowledge. Thanks for the time today and beautiful Florida to discuss the sun of all things. And we're here and it's a gorgeous today. And we appreciate your knowledge and sharing that with us. Thank you so much.  

Dr. Wolthoff: Thank you.  

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us. And congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a wellness advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, if you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen.