It’s one of the most magical yet maddening of feelings: Closing your eyes and feeling the strong sun shine down on your face- all the while knowing that the UV rays are doing serious damage to your skin. If you’re at all concerned about lines or wrinkles, let alone skin cancer, then you probably already know this: you should never- ever- be out in the sun, regardless of the weather or time of year, without good sun protection.

If you want a hint at what the sun does to your skin, take a peek at your buttocks- that’s what skin that’s never seen the light of day looks like. For most of us, the rest of our bodies are not so smooth and silky- and that’s primarily because of sun exposure. For a good description of the damage done by those UV rays, lift off your sunglasses and gaze your eyes here.

And just because you’ve reached a certain age, and the ravages of bygone beach days have already done their work, it doesn’t mean you now get a pass from wearing sunscreen. Apparently more mature skin suffers from UV damage even more than youthful skin, so don’t think you’ve aged out of the need to wear sunscreen. If you want the latest thinking about which sunscreen is best, The Fine Line has a just-published list of products that are safe, effective and environmentally friendly. Or, if you want a good product based on your skin type, take a look at Prevention’s 2019 list of best sunscreens.

Finally, you probably already know about the central role of collagen in keeping your skin supple and unlined. Our body suffers a loss of collagen protein as we age and are exposed to UV rays. But a new study from Japan, just published in Nature and profiled in Scientific American, offers a promising direction into preserving or increasing collagen proteins to help keep skin more youthful. While you shouldn’t rush out to slather your face with a cream that promises to include collagen, keep an eye out for products down the line that will benefit from this new and exciting research.