This is only true, though, if you apply it correctly in the right amount.Īn SPF also means that a certain percentage of skin-aging UVB rays are still allowed to penetrate the skin.Īccording to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 3% of UVB rays can enter your skin with SPF 30, and 2% with SPF 50. So, for example, an SPF of 30 means your skin could take 30 times longer to burn than it would if it were left unprotected. They refer to the time it would take for your skin to burn without wearing sunscreen, rather than offering a specific level of protection. It’s first important to understand what SPF numbers mean. Everyday sunscreens may contain a lower SPF, but direct exposure to the sun requires a higher SPF. The ideal SPF in a sunscreen depends on your exposure level to the sun. Wearing sun protection factor (SPF) 15 sunscreen may reduce your risk of melanoma skin cancers by up to 50%, as well as squamous cell carcinoma, a non-melanoma skin cancer, by 40%.Įach sunscreen contains an SPF. Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with the right SPF can help minimize this type of damage. Long-term effects of UV exposure include cancer and premature photoaging. Tanned skin is also the result of melanin released in the affected area. The more prolonged your exposure, the more severe a burn may be. As a result of sunburn, your skin adapts by tanning. In the short term, your skin responds to sun exposure by becoming inflamed. It can’t prevent your skin’s exposure to the sun 100%. Still, it’s important to remember that sunscreen acts as a filter. This helps keep the product from dissolving off your skin and leaving it exposed to UV damage. You may also consider wearing water-resistant sunscreen, especially when doing certain activities that get you wet from either water or perspiration (sweat). These are called ultraviolet (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Perhaps more important than choosing between chemical and physical sunscreens is looking for one that is broad spectrum, or protects against the two damaging types of UV rays. These ingredients were recently designated as GRASE, or generally recognized as safe and effective, by the Food the Drug Administration (FDA). Zinc and titanium oxides are two examples of blocking agents used in physical sunscreen. Physical-based versions, on the other hand, reflect and scatter UV rays away from your skin. Examples of chemical-based sunscreens include oxybenzone and octisalate. Popular chemical-based sunscreens work by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) rays and altering them before they have a chance to cause any damage. Sunscreen works in two ways: chemical and physical.
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