You wear your skin all the time! It is the one body cover that you can never change. This reason alone should be enough to ensure that you care for your skin every chance you get. There are numerous facets involved when it comes to skincare; however, sunscreen should come first. This is because we encounter the sun on a daily basis. And due to this fact, we face health risks as a result of our exposure to the sun’s UVA/ XP UVB radiation that includes skin cancer.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer; recording a yearly estimate of 5 million skin cancer patients in the United States. It is for such reasons that you need to protect your skin from the sun and sunscreen is the number one way to do so.
Choose the Right Sunscreen
There are hundreds of sunscreen creams arranged on shelves in stores, but not all of them work in your best interest. Being chemical products, they provide different chemical/physical protection to your skin from the malevolent UV rays from the sun. To ensure that you pick the right one, check that it is a ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreen product with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least SPF 15. The SPF number is a measure of how effective they are at blocking the sun’s UV rays. Some high rated sunscreens include; VLCC Matte Look Sunscreen Lotion (SPF 30 PA), The SPF 50 Lakme Sun Expert UV lotion and Jovees Sandalwood Sun Cover Natural Protection (SPF 30) just to name a few. The mentioned sunscreen products are ranked among the best ten sunscreen creams in India by a popular publication, based on their high SPF.
How and When to Apply Sunscreen
UV rays do not pose a threat to the health of your skin only when the sun is over your head during summer, but rather every time you are exposed to the sun. That is because the sun’s UV rays penetrate through clouds clothing and windows. You are therefore not safe from the sun just because you are indoors or because it is winter. Sunscreen is, therefore, to be applied daily and everywhere including indoors if you want to protect your skin properly. And by every time that also includes winter sunscreen application; now that UV rays penetrate through the clouds.
You need to apply sunscreen to your face, hands chest and neck daily to prevent the sun from damaging your skin. Sunscreen, however, wears off due to some everyday activities and therefore, should be reapplied if you’ve been exposed to the sun for more than two hours, after swimming, toweling off or after swimming.
What You Should Watch Out For
Before you get yourself some sunscreen, you should check for the expiry date now that they are not as effective once their time is passed. Those that do not have expiry dates on them have a maximum shelf life of three years. However, if the lid has been opened, then their effectiveness may be significantly reduced.
About 85-90% of extrinsic aging according to Skininc.com is as a result of the skin’s direct exposure to the sun, yet applying sunscreen doesn’t take any more than a minute. Making sunscreen your best friend; you get to enjoy a healthy, glowing, supple skin that makes any outfit or hairdo look better.
