Everything you need to know about Sunscreen..Do you really need them? lets find out

We all know the importance of Sun in flourishing life on Earth, sun exposure for a limited period of time is necessary for our overall health, but prolonged exposure can be harmful to the skin. The UV rays can cause some serious damage to our skin, and that is were Sun protection comes into picture.

What is Sunscreen :

Sunscreen also known as Sunblock comes in different formulas like gel, lotion, cream or sprays and are applied topically to reflect or absorb some of the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun that can cause Sun burns or even skin cancer. They are classified into chemical i.e the ones meant to absorb UV light( some of the FDA approved filters are oxybenzone and Avobenzone) and physical i.e the ones meant to reflect UV light (the FDA approved filters are Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide)

What does UVA and UVB stand for :

UVA are the ultraviolet rays from the sun which plays a major part in skin aging were A stands for "Aging. UVA penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB. It is present with almost the same intensity throughout the year during daylight hours and can penetrate through clouds and glass.

UVB is the main cause for sun burns and skin reddning,were B stands for "Burning". It affect the epidermal i.e the outmost layer of the skin. UVB is more significantly present between 10am to 4pm. They do not penetrate through glass.

What does SPF stand for :

SPF stand for Sun Protection Factor which measure how long will it protect your skin from UVB rays that cause sunburns.

Example :If your skin burns after 10 minutes of sun exposure than a SPF 15 sunscreen can protect you for 150 min approx. before you skin starts to burn.

The SPF factor is not linear , Spf 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays , SPF 30 blocks 97% whereas spf 50 blocks 98%.

SPF 15 or 30 are the recommended factor to use as any higher factor does not necessarily offer greater protection misleading people in thinking they have more protection than they actually do.

Who should use a sunscreen?

Practically everyone should use a sunscreen irrespective of the age, gender or race. As the ultraviolet rays can do lot of harm to your skin and the affects might show much later when it is too late to act. Prevention is always better.

If your daily sun exposure is not more than 30 min a spf 15 is good enough for you, for any more exposure SPF 30 is recommended.

How to use a Sunscreen :

• Choose an SPf of 15 or 30 according to your exposure to the Sun.
• Apply your Sunscreen 15 minutes before you step outside to let it absorb in the skin completely.
• Use generous amount, a coin size is approximately how much you should use . Apply it to all exposed parts of the body.
• If you sweat a lot or you are doing any water sport reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours or whenever it gets washed off.

Conclusion :

Sun damage takes many years to show its effects on the skin, and most of them are irreversible . Hence it makes sense to add Sunscreen to your daily beauty regime as it is always better to be safe than sorry .

Regular use of Sunscreen can also slow down and also prevent development of wrinkles and skin sagging.

Hope you found this article helpful. Thanks for visiting my page.

Have a great day :)