About 90 percent of the time, the risk of developing skin cancer is directly related to the amount and intensity of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure one receives from the sun. Overexposure to the sun also causes premature ageing of the skin. Ever noticed how people living in the hills have more wrinkles? Sunscreen is an important part of the equation. No matter how the weather is – sunny or cloudy – you need to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from damage. Applying sunscreen is one of the most important parts of a skin care routine.
Choosing The Best Sunscreen
When it comes to choosing sunscreen, most of us don’t give much thought on what kind we buy, as long as it seems to have enough SPF. However, all sunscreens are definitely not equal, and there a number of things to look out for when choosing the right sunscreen. Although using any sunscreen is better than using none, certain kinds work to protect your skin better from UV rays, and investing in a good kind of cream can help prevent sun damage and skin cancer. With so many options available in the market that have the labels SPF, UVA and UVB protection, along with the tag lines waterproof and water resistant, it only adds to the confusion, making the process of choosing the right sunscreen all the more daunting. Sunscreens come in a variety of forms – lotions, gels, sticks, and broad spectrum.
In order to get the best protection, you should keep the following in mind:
1. Look For Broad Spectrum
SPF is important, but you also want to make sure your sunscreen says “Broad Spectrum” so it can protect against both UVA and UVB rays. SPF (Sun Protection Factor) only describes protection from UVB rays, the sunburn rays that also damage your skin’s DNA. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply causing wrinkles and brown spots. Instead of looking for a product with the highest SPF, look for a product with at least an SPF of 30 that is also labelled with UVA and UVB protection or broad spectrum.
2. Choose SPF 30 Or Above
An SPF of 30 will block 97 percent of the sun’s harmful rays. Most people don’t apply like they should, so using a sunscreen with a higher SPF acts like a safety net to give the highest amount of protection. If you are in the hills or mountains, where the UV rays are stronger, choose an SPF of 50. Higher SPF numbers do mean more protection, but the higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. SPF 15 sunscreens filter out about 93% of UVB rays, while SPF 30 sunscreens filter out about 97%, SPF 50 sunscreens about 98%, and SPF 100 about 99%. No sunscreen protects you completely.
3. The Right Ingredients
The vast majority of sunscreens are chemical based, meaning the sun protection is provided by chemicals your skin absorbs versus mineral sun protection, which sits on the top of your skin and are not absorbed. The best, broadest sun protection comes from zinc oxide. Unlike the chemical sunscreen ingredients like avobenzone and oxybenzone, it is not absorbed into your body. In addition to looking for zinc oxide for coverage, use zinc or titanium-oxide-based sunscreens if you have sensitive skin. Zinc and titanium are known as ‘physical blockers’ and much less allergenic compared to all other sunscreen active ingredients which are known as ‘chemical blockers’.
4. Choose Water Resistant
The ‘water resistant’ types of sunscreen are also good for hot days or while playing sports. Keep in mind these types of sunscreens are stickier and need to be reapplied every two hours. No sunscreen is actually waterproof or sweat-proof, so steer clear of sunscreens that make this claim. Actually, manufacturers are not allowed to claim that they are. If a product’s front label makes claims of being water resistant, it must specify whether it lasts for 40 minutes or 80 minutes while swimming or sweating. For best results, reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and even more often if you are swimming or sweating. Sunscreen usually rubs off when you towel yourself dry, so you will need to put more on.
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