Sunscreen savvy
Daily temperatures have been rising in anticipation of the summer season. As a public service feature for our dear readers, Uptown/Downtown has listed 10 sunscreen facts that will help arm you against skin aging!
1. Protecting yourself from the sun’s harmful rays is the single, most important anti-aging activity that you can ever do for your skin.
2. The most commonly-used product to fight against the sun’s rays is sunblock. It is not enough to purchase the product. Knowledge on which type of sunblock to use, the amounts needed for each body part, and the timing of application all play a key role in ensuring the highest degree of protection.
3. There are three types of UV lights that affect the skin: UV (ultraviolet) A, B and C. The most common forms of UV that we are exposed to on a day-to-day basis are UVA and UVB. UVA light penetrates more deeply than UVB and is a major contributor to wrinkles (UVA=Aging). UVB light may not penetrate as deeply but it is the reason why our skin darken and burn by acting on the skin’s first layer (epidermis) and stimulating cells to produce melanin (UVB=Burn).
4. Let’s talk about SPF or Sun Protection Factor. It is a gauge of how well a sunblock protects you against UVB. The SPF number gives you an indication of how long you may stay under the sun without getting burned. According to experts, it normally takes 10 minutes for skin to get burned. When you apply an SPF10 sunblock on your skin, it will allow you to stay under the sun 10 times longer without getting burned. Theoretically, the higher the SPF, the higher the sun protection.
5. Logic would dictate that the higher the SPF number, the more protection you will be receiving. Not necessarily. SPF15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays while SPF30 blocks 97 percent. Yes, the four percent jump is somewhat meaningful. However, an SPF50 sunblock shields you from 98 percent of UVB rays, just one percent more than an SPF30.
6. PA in sunblock labels refers to Protection Grade of UVA rays. The more plus signs you see on the label, the higher the level of UVA protection.
7. There is another way of classifying sunscreens: chemical and physical sunscreens. Physical sunscreen is made of any or both of two ingredients: titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO). This type of sunscreen works as a physical barrier and deflects the sun’s rays from penetrating the skin. Because it is a physical barrier, this type of sunscreen activates its unblocking abilities immediately. One can apply it on the skin to receive immediate sun protection. The downside to most physical sunscreens is its thick, white-cast property that makes it aesthetically inelegant when applied. For people who live in the tropics, the thick consistency of a physical sunblock is difficult to tolerate for everyday use.
Meanwhile, a chemical sunblock is usually the preferred type of sun protection product because it is colorless and light in texture. A chemical sunscreen is usually a cocktail of several ingredients such as avobenzone, oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, helioplex, etc. It works by absorbing the sun’s rays and converting them to heat, which is then dispersed harmlessly on to the skin. Because it is a chemical sunscreen, one has to apply the product 20 minutes before exposure to the sun as it takes about this time for the sunscreen to form a protective film on the skin. 8. Many foundations contain SPF and PA protection, however, it is best to use purely sunscreen products in order to ensure effective protection. The amount of foundation applied on the skin is about 1/7th the amount necessary for adequate skin protection. The best option would be to apply sunscreen on freshly washed face, allow the lotion to dry and then apply foundation after. 9. How much sunscreen does one need? Experts say, for full body application, the common reference point amount would be that of a shot glass or a golf ball. For the face, about a quarter of a teaspoon would be considered a good estimate. Also, do not forget to apply sunblock on your neck! 10. Reapplication is necessary. So, using an SPF30 will allow you to spend 30 times more time under the sun. Why then is reapplication important? Sweating, constant face touching and contact of our body with various materials (pillows, chair fabric, clothes, etc…) tend to have a rubbing off effect on your previously applied sunscreen. Couple that with the fact that most people significantly under apply sunscreen, it makes it important to give sunscreen application a second round in the middle of the day.