The solution was right in front of you, sulking somewhere in the back of your bathroom cabinet. Probably ‘sun-screaming’ itself for long. You got it right, Sunscreen!
According to National Library of Medicine, sunscreen protects your skin by counteracting photoaging indicators like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and various types of skin problems.
So, remember, SPF a day keeps the wrinkles away!
How sun gives you early ageing?
A pressing need of sunscreen in your daily skin care routine can be realised by understanding the association between the UV radiations emitted by the sun and its direct impact on the skin aging process. Chronic sun exposure reveals the skin to two types of UV radiations
- UV A
Almost 95% of the overall radiation that reaches the earth is of UV A type. This radiation from the sun is majorly responsible for skin aging, wrinkles, fine lines and hyper-pigmentation.
- UV B
Owing to the higher energy levels, they affect the outermost layers of the skin and are responsible for major types of skin problems and skin burns.
How to protect skin from the sun?
Sunscreens and Sunblock! They have the perfect potential to protect the skin against UV rays by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering sunlight. As a result, broad spectrum sunscreen should be incorporated in your skin care regime, one that protects you against all sorts of radiations and UV rays.
What type of sunscreen is best for anti-aging?
There are a few elements in skincare that may be optional to few, such as toning or cleansing. However, wearing sunscreen, which is also likely the most taken for granted component of skincare, is one essential step that should be followed. Applying sunscreen irrespective of the weather forecast is highly crucial to attain maximum skin protection and prevention from premature skin aging.
- Acknowledge your skin type
Knowing your skin type is essential for selecting which products are best suitable to your skin type. Observe your skin quality coupled with correct application of suitable products to attain qualitative and visible results.
If you have acne prone/ oily skin, make sure to select a sunscreen that’s non-comedogenic. This means that it does not clog your skin pores.
- Broad spectrum
UV A is linked to the term "Broad-Spectrum Protection" that appears on sunscreen labels. Early sunscreens simply protected your skin from UV B rays, but as the dangers of UVA rays were more widely recognised, sunscreen manufacturers began to include chemicals that protected from both UV B and UV A radiations.
- PA++++ ratings
This is Protection Grade of UV A. It is a form of grading systems, just like back in school. More the ‘+’ better the protective abilities against UV A type. Broad spectrum is self-explanatory, meaning the sunscreen protects the skin from both UV A and UV B.
- SPF
Make SPF your BFF, Today! Sun Protection Factor (SPF) works around UV B radiations mostly. It is usually recommended to use sunscreen with SPF of at least 30, which stands the ability to block 96.5% of UV B rays, whereas a SPF 50 provides protection from around 98% of UVB radiation.
- Water resistant
What is the point of applying sunscreen on a beach and going for a swim, if it doesn’t adhere to your skin or isn't sweat resistant? Ensure that your sunscreen is water resistant to take maximum benefit out of your sunscreen. Also, water resistant sunscreen can give protection for up to 6 hours.
FAQs
1. How often should you apply sunscreen?
According to experts, sunscreens should be applied every two hours. In quantity, two tablespoons of sunscreen can be applied to the exposed areas to maintain a layer for active protection against the radiations, both indoors and outdoors.
2. Should you wear sunscreen even when it's cloudy?
It is not the temperature that damages your skin. UV rays have the ability to penetrate cloud cover and so it makes it imperative to use sunscreen even on a cloudy day.
3. Is it important to wear sunscreen indoors?
Absolutely Yes! Daily exposure to blue light usually emitted by display screens like television, phones etc) accelerates the overall skin aging process. This is where physical sunscreens enriched with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offer excellent protection from both visible and blue light.
Conclusion
Sun is the ultimate source of energy but comes with its own pros and cons. You can simply choose the pros by investing in a good broad spectrum sunscreen and simply filter out the cons. Applying sunscreen every day may seem like an unnecessary task, especially if you're only driving from your car to your office and back, but it's critical to your skin's health, tone and appearance. Give it a shot! Remember to believe in the process to actually observe a change in your skin health.
