Summer is upon us and with this, the days are getting hotter and the hemlines are getting shorter. But why should this harsh weather take a toll on our skin and health? To protect your skin from the harsh UV Rays present in the environment, it is absolutely imperative to use a sunscreen on a daily basis. Sunscreens are basically creams that reflect the harmful UV Rays of the Sun away from the skin and thereby protecting the skin from damage.
They are available in various formulations such as cream, gel, lotion or spray to suit one’s need. The UV Rays of the Sun can affect our skin in lot many ways. There are two types of UV Raya majorly present in the environment. While most of us associate sun rays with the sole problem of tanning, there are so many more reasons to protect our skin from sun other than the fear of getting tanned. The UVB Rays cause problems such as suntan, sunburn, irritation, and pigmentation of the skin.
That’s not all, The UVA Rays are the major cause of premature ageing of the skin, photosensitivity reactions and also contribute to skin cancer. The UVB Rays are known to cause more damage to the superficial epidermal layers of the skin whereas the UVA Rays are known to penetrate deep inside the skin and cause more damage in the long run. Many sunscreen provide protection only from the superficial UVB Rays and let the harmful UVA rays penetrate into the skin. To avoid this, a broad spectrum sunscreen that reflects both kind of rays should be used.
Therefore it becomes absolutely essential to protect the skin from sun on a daily basis. Various brands offer different SPF in their products. SPF stands for Sun Protection Formula. At least SPF 15 is required to provide adequate protection to the skin against the sun damage. The most commonly available SPF in the market are 15, 30 and 50. Although it must be noted that though the number gap between SPF 15 and 50 is a lot but the actual protection offered differs by just 10-20%.
These days many cosmetic products claim to offer sun protection. Be it lip balms, foundations, compact powders, many innovative formulas have been formulated in the beauty sector. But it should also be kept in mind that the SPF present in the cosmetics is not enough to shield the skin. It is great to have an additional layer of protection but they cannot be solely relied on for sun protection purpose. As much as all the brands claim to have formulated a sweatproof, waterproof, rub-resistant, long-lasting sunscreen, most sunscreens melt off the face in 4-5 hours. Therefore it should be applied every 5-6hrs especially if the skin has been exposed to the sun for a long duration that day. Another misconception is that sunscreen should be applied only when heading outdoors, which is so wrong.
The skin needs protection from the sun daily, even indoors as UV Rays enter inside through windows and glasses. SPF should be applied every day, irrespective of the weather(sunny or cloudy), season(summer, monsoon or winter) and the skin type(dry, oily or sensitive)With so much innovation happening in the beauty world, and new products coming out every day, there is no shortage of various kinds of sunscreen in the market. Cream-based, gel-based, lotion, spray are just different formulation in which you can find your idle sunscreen.
Apart from that, there are non-comedogenic sunscreens for oily and sensitive skinned people as they claim to not clog the pores. There are also creamy moisturizers in the market which contain Sun Protection Formula are a blessing in disguise for dry skinned beauties. The matte gel sunscreens are designed so that the oily skin types do not have to look like a tank of oil and sweat throughout the day. It must also be kept in mind that not only does the face require sun protection but all the exposed areas of the body like neck, hands, legs need to be shielded as they can suffer the same damage your face suffers! So go ahead, choose the right sun protection for your skin and keep it safe, after all, it’s the only one you’ve got!
