How does Sunscreen Protect Your Skin from UV Rays
There are two types of UV light that can harm your skin – UVA and UVB. A broad-spectrum or full-spectrum, sunscreen can protect you from both. UVA rays can prematurely age your skin, causing wrinkles and expression lines, whereas UVB rays can burn your skin. That’s not all. Too much sun exposure can cause serious skin damage, as well as skin cancer. The best sun lotions offer protection from all UV light. That’s why it is of crucial importance for our skin to never miss applying skin lotion and protecting it from damage.
SPF stands for sun protection factor and represents a measure of how well sunscreen protects against UVB rays. SPF is calculated based on how long it takes to sunburn skin that’s been treated with the sunscreen as compared to skin with no sunscreen. When applied correctly, a sun lotion with an SPF of 30 will provide slightly more protection from UVB rays than the one with an SPF of 15.
So, avoid the risk of skin cancer by choosing the right sunscreen and follow these sunscreen tips to make sure you protect yourself the right way:
- You need to reapply every 2 hours: The active ingredients in sunscreen break down when exposed to UV light. To maintain the SPF on the label, you need to keep reapplying as the ingredients lose effectiveness: every 2 hours, more often if you sweat or swim.
- Anything greater than SPF 50 provides the same protection: A 50 SPF blocks 98.00% of UVB light (the burning rays) while a 100 SPF will block 99.00%. This level of benefit [to either] is of course contingent on applying enough and reapplying frequently.
- Makeup and moisturizers with sunscreen aren’t always enough: Unless your makeup/moisturizer provides broad spectrum sunscreen and is reapplied throughout the day, it isn’t enough protection for all day sun exposure. According to ASDS, it’s fine if “you are only walking to your car from work or going into the store. But if you are going to spend a few hours outdoors, then you need to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen."
- Don’t wait until you’re in the sun to apply: Sunscreen should be applied one-half hour before going outside, giving the skin time to absorb it. Also, make sure to reapply sunscreen every two hours and after you get out of the water and dry off.
- 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 only describes protection from UVB rays, the sunburn rays that also damage your skin's DNA. Instead of looking for a product with the highest SPF, you should look for a product with at least an SPF of 30 that is also labeled with UVA and UVB protection or broad spectrum.
It’s common knowledge that you should apply sunscreen every single day without exceptions in order to prevent premature aging and diminish the risk of skin cancer. Follow these simple tips to make sure you are well protected!
