by Vladimire Herard
It pays to know exactly what to look for when buying sunscreen to protect your skin.
This goes for whether you are fighting premature skin aging or sunburns, deciding on mineral vs. chemical substances, considering tints or pondering forms of lotions, sprays and sticks.
And while it appears that using sunscreen on your skin makes sense in the summer, you should actually invest in the product all year round. Your skin needs protection all 365 days.
UVA and UVB are two forms of ultraviolet radiation under the sun. Both forms damage and inflame your skin and boost your risk of developing cancer.
UVA is connected to aging skin. UVB is linked to sunburns.
Sources can vary. The first natural source is the sun. Other natural sources are water, sand and snow. Additionally, persons with light skin and red hair are at greater risk for sunburn.
Artificial sources of sunburn include tanning beds or sunlamps. Some of your prescribed medicines can too increase the sensitivity of your skin and lead to sunburns.
To gauge the levels of protection that work best for your skin, you must measure a sunscreen’s safety and effectiveness against UVB, according to SPF, which stands for sun protection factor, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The range runs from 2 to more than 100 SPF.
For example, sunscreens with a SPF of 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB, a SPF of 30 for 97 percent and a SPF of 50 for 98 percent.
Your best bet? A broad-spectrum sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or more that is designed to guard against both forms of radiation, the Academy recommends.
You also do well to apply sunscreen 15 minutes to a half-hour before going out. It takes time for your skin to absorb sunscreen. Then you must re-apply it every two hours.
In choosing an ideal sunscreen, you can start by deciding between a chemically-based one or one with mineral ingredients.
Chemically-based sunscreen are most effective because they absorb UV radiation. By comparison, mineral sunscreens reflect UV rays from your skin.
Chemical sunscreens are commonly known as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the variety used as salve on the beach.
They work best for babies and children, especially six months or older, and pregnant and nursing women and users with sensitive skin.
For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a SPF of 15. For infants under six months of age, it is best to apply sunscreen to small unclothed areas of the body.
In fact, the Academy cautions against exposing babies to sunlight from the outdoors.
Tints work best for those with darker skin. They contain iron oxide to guard your skin against hyperpigmentation, which makes some areas of your body darker than others.
You can also choose from purchasing sunscreens in the form of lotions, sprays and sticks.
Sprays represent a fast and convenient option to cover as much of your skin as possible. Lotions are most often used for your face. Sticks are designed to apply sunscreen in particular areas of your body.
