Protect your skin with sunscreen
Sunlight is useful for our healthy living however over exposure to sun rays can affect our skin and even cause skin cancer. Wearing sun block is very important since early age. Wrinkles, skin aging, and in some cases, a leathery feel to your skin may be some of the results that you are seeing as a consequence of overexposure of the sun to your skin. Sun protection is a lifelong process that begins at infancy and should be continued throughout life.
Why sun ray is dangerous: Sunlight consists of three types of rays - UVA, UVB and UVC, out of which the UVC rays are the most powerful and damaging.
Natural sunlight contains, among other things, ultraviolet (UV) photons.
The UV rays that we are exposed to here on the earth's surface consist of UVB and UVA photons and cause intrinsic damage within the skin cells.
The shorter wavelength UVB rays don't penetrate deeply into skin; they cause significant damage to DNA and are the primary cause of sunburn and skin cancer.
Visible signs of sun damage include tanning, development of freckles and sunburns.
How Sunscreen protects: A sunscreen product acts like a very thin bulletproof vest, stopping the UV photons before they can reach the skin and inflict damage. Sunscreen contains organic sunscreen molecules that absorb UV and inorganic pigments that absorb, scatter and reflect UV.
- The sunscreen should contain ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that reflect off the UV rays of the sun.
- The main ingrediant in sunscreen is SPF, Sun Protection Factor. Products with a higher SPF allow fewer of the photons that produce sunburn to strike the skin. Higher the SPF number, the more sunburn protection you will receive from that product.
- If your exposure to sun is very limited you may opt SPF 15 sunscreen however if you spend longer amounts of time in the sunlight you would need at least an SPF 30 sunscreen. SPF 50 sunscreen should be used if you have extremely fair skin to offer 99 per cent sun protection. Remember, if you are not applying a thick layer, it would not protect the skin against sunlight. Also, make sure you reapply after every 2 hours, especially if you are swimming or have been sweating a lot.
- By using sunscreen properly you can avoid the harmful invisible rays that penetrate your skin and cause premature aging.
- Never use sunscreen that is past their expiration dates and make sure you store your sunscreen in a cool dark place so that they don't lose their efficiency and last longer.
- Look for water proof or water-resistant sunscreens. Waterproof sunscreens guarantee 80 minutes of protection while water-resistant sunscreens provide only 40 minutes of protection.
(Source: scientificamerican.com, cancer.org.au)
