Sunscreen protects the skin from cancerous UV rays. Everyone should wear sunscreen, regardless of how often their skin burns. However, sunscreen has gotten a lot of flack in the news lately, and a few articles have been published claiming that sunscreen does more harm than good. Read on to find out the truth.
Sunscreen Terminology
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and it measures how well something protects the skin from UVB rays. The higher the SPF, the better the protection. SPF 15 filters out 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 filters 97% and SPF 50 filters out about 98%.
UVA rays are a longer Ultraviolet wave that cause skin damage, skin aging, and skin cancer. They penetrate the skin deeper than UVB rays. UVB rays are a shorter Ultraviolet wave that can cause sunburn, skin damage, and skin cancer.
Broad-spectrum sunscreen filters out both UVA and UVB rays.
Mineral Barrier Vs. Chemical Barrier
There are two ways that sunscreen protects against the sun’s rays, through a mineral barrier or a chemical barrier. Mineral barrier sunscreens include zinc oxide or titanium dioxide that create a physical barrier on the skin to protect it from the sun. Chemical barriers use chemicals such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene or homosalate that absorb or scatter the sun’s rays. Both methods are equally safe.
Sunscreen Safety
There have been many claims lately that putting sunscreen on your skin is like putting poison on your body. Many people claim that oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate are toxic, increase the risk of skin cancer, and disrupt the hormones in your body. However, they are safer than many claim, and the benefits of sunscreen far outweigh the potential risks. Sunscreen is necessary to protect you from the rays of the sun. 1 in 3 cancers that are diagnosed are skin cancer, caused by excessive sun damage, and that risk is greatly reduced if you wear sunscreen. If you are still concerned about the safety of sunscreen, switch to a barrier sunscreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Protecting Yourself From the Sun
You should wear sunscreen even if you work in an office and only occasionally venture outdoors. Many people think that you don’t need to use sunscreen on cloudy days, but nearly 80% of the sun’s rays still penetrate the barrier. And just using sunscreen is not enough to protect you from the rays of the sun. Even a solid sunscreen doesn’t last longer than two hours, and water resistant sunscreens only last 40 minutes to an hour at most. You should seek shade, wear protective clothing, and apply sunscreen every few hours.
