Sunscreens have long been lauded in for skin protection but we never mended our ways, did we? We failed to pay heed and now we are all wondering why our skin is the way it is.

The importance of sunscreens is not uncommon anymore, but have you ever wondered, why is that exactly? The sun is not the kindest to our skin. The mean UV rays make our skin vulnerable to skin cancer, discoloration, and wrinkles over time.

A promising way to battle these ailments? Sunscreen. Your daily routine badly needs a sunscreen check. Apply sunscreen each morning and again throughout the day (I know it’s too much) to get maximum protection. It is undoubtedly one of the best (and easiest) ways to safeguard your skin’s health and appearance at any age. To prevent our skin from sun damage we should use face care products. So why not use the best skin care products for our skin care rituals.

If you manage to unfailingly wear sunscreen as directed, your skin will be immune to skin cancer, sunburn, and premature ageing. And how is that possible? Due to the SPF in sunscreen. Let’s take a look at it.

What is SPF?

SPF or Sun Protection Factor is the ability of a sunscreen to protect against UVB, a part of ultraviolet (UV) light. UVB is the culprit behind dreadful sunburns and deadly skin cancer. UV light is also composed of UVC and UVA rays, the former does not pass the earth’s atmosphere but the latter is responsible for skin cancer and skin ageing.

Basically, you need to protect your skin from both UVB and UVA rays.

Why Protect with Sunscreen?

With sunscreens, you decrease your risk of skin cancers and skin precancers. Religious use of SPF 15 will also mitigate the risk of development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by nearly 40 percent, and the risk of melanoma by 50 percent.

What else? If cancer does not scare you there is still ageing (that is accelerated by the sun) that should. SPF also prevents premature ageing caused by the sun— wrinkles, sagging, and age spots.

SPF also protects you from skin discoloration and reduces inflammation.

How to Wear Sunscreen?

As per experts, you must apply sunscreen to your entire body (like you do with a lotion) so you stay protected if your clothing is light. The very least you can do is use sunscreen on all the exposed parts of your body— including your ears, back of your neck, your part line on the scalp, etc., basically, every inch of the skin exposed to the sun.

Think of sunscreen as water: everyone must have it (wear it) —men, women, and children over six months of age every day. Now, you are not an exception if you do not tan easily. Skin is damaged when it is exposed to the sun over your lifetime, regardless of whether you suffer from sunburns or not.

Also, cloudy weather is not an exception either. Up to 80% of the sun’s UV radiation still reaches the earth (even if you cannot see it).

Now, if you are convinced enough to start using sunscreens and are wondering how to choose from the plethora of products available out there, the first thing to consider is the level of SPF. Remember, SPF 30 or higher will sun-proof your skin the best— even on cloudy days. Another thing your sunscreen should have is “broad spectrum” coverage.

A simple mantra:

Everyone under the sun should wear an ounce of broad spectrum SPF 15 or higher every day, half an hour before going outdoors, and reapply every two hours on the exposed parts of the body to reduce the risk of skin damage and skin cancer!

Mend your ways now, stay sun-safe!

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7759112/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7759112/