Sunscreen is an active ingredient that can protect your skin from UVA and UVB radiation, which causes burning and skin aging. The sun is essential for your health because of its vitamin D, but too much exposure to it can do more harm than good to your skin.
Too much sun exposure can lead to sunburn, premature aging, loss of elasticity for your skin, and cancer in some cases, amongst many other things.
Regular sunscreen application can significantly reduce your chances of suffering from any of the conditions mentioned earlier. To ensure that you are ticking all the right boxes when using sunscreen, read along and find the perfect solution.
Table of Contents
Benefits of using sunscreen
These are some of the benefits of using sunscreen that your skin will thank you for:
- Less hyperpigmentation
- A reduced chance of premature aging
- It helps prevent sunburn
- Sunscreen helps your skin protect itself from external factors
- You have a reduced chance of developing skin cancer
- Less inflammation and redness of your skin
- Reduced amount of age spots
- Less blotching of your skin
Side-effects of not using sunscreen
Of course, your skin may get into some trouble for not protecting itself. Some of the issues related to not using sunscreen are:
- Premature aging
- Sunburns
- Redness
- Increased chance of getting skin cancers
- Skin discoloration, especially in darker skin tones
- Age spots
Types of Sunscreen
There are two main types of sunscreens, chemical and physical, and what differentiates them is the mechanism in which they work.
Chemical
Chemical sunscreen absorbs UV rays through your skin and converts them into heat released from your body. In other words, it absorbs UV rays and converts them into heat. They contain avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone as active ingredients.
The main characteristics of chemical sunscreen are:
- They absorb quickly into the skin and don’t leave a white film
- Can be irritating to the skin because they are absorbed
- Protects against both UVA and UVB rays
- Has a very comfortable feeling on the skin
- They are pretty sweat-resistant and water-resistant
- Can be irritating to the skin because they contain some harmful ingredients
- They need to be applied to the skin 15-30 minutes before exposure
My favorite chemical sunscreen is the EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 for Sensitive or Acne-Prone Skin.
Physical
Physical sunscreens (mineral sunscreens) form a film on top of your skin and reflect the UV rays. The main active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are minerals.
The main characteristics of physical sunscreens are:
- They are not as irritating to the skin, which makes them suitable for most skin types
- Can be pretty thick, and they leave a white film on the skin unless they are tinted or formulated with nanoparticles
- Moisturizing for the skin
- Protect against both UVA and UVB rays
- It may sometimes clump up, which makes it hard to apply evenly on the skin
My favorite mineral sunscreen is the Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Glow SPF 50.
How to use sunscreen
I’m sure the question in your head is, how much sunscreen do I need?
The short answer is about 1/2 a teaspoon for your face and neck and about 1 ounce (30mL) for your entire body.
One study showed that sunscreen must be applied 15-30 minutes before sun exposure, then again 15-30 minutes after initial exposure. This is because most people don’t put on enough sunscreen to fully protect their skin initially, so to compensate for that, more has to be put on after the initial exposure to counter that.
After that, you should reapply when necessary, especially if you sweat excessively, towel your body, and are exposed to water or anything that can wipe away the sunscreen film off your skin.
Ethical issues
This is an important issue that needs to be discussed.
Chemical sunscreen is toxic and negatively impacts coral health and reproduction. Coral reefs aren’t the only ones harmed by these ingredients. Furthermore, they may cause problems such as deformation, decreased fertility, and impaired growth in other marine life. Your health may even be compromised by some of them.
The chemicals in sunscreen, such as oxybenzone, can seep into the water and be absorbed by corals. Coral bleaching can be caused by substances that contain nanoparticles that disrupt the coral’s reproduction and growth cycle.
Use reef-safe sunblock to contribute to preserving the reef in the future.
And finally
At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing- choose a sunscreen that you will use. Any sun protection is better than none.
Make sure you use an adequate amount of broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum of 30 SPF (sun protection factor) to ensure complete coverage from it and reapply where necessary, especially if you have been swimming, sweating, or rubbing against your skin. Your skin needs protection at all times, even on a gloomy day.
Other forms of sun protection that you may incorporate too are wearing long-sleeved tops and pants, using sunglasses when you are out and about, and wearing gloves when driving for a long distance.
Remember one thing: sunscreen will take away so many years from your skin; without it, using actives and retinoids will be futile because it reverses all their benefits.
Now, let us chat; what are your top three go-to sunscreens?
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