RSSWhy Is It Actually Necessary To Apply Sunscreens?
Jan 27
Beach Beach, cancer, disease, health, skin cancer, Sunscreen, swimming, tanning No Comments
In a word, Yes! And everyone should use them. People all have different skin. Sensitivity to the sun and the tendency to burn vary. Some skin rarely burns and tans very easily. Other people are highly prone to burning and will rarely or never tan. It is those folks, the ones who burn easily, who should be concerned about skin cancer and wear sunscreens. Right? Wrong! No matter what type of skin a person has, everyone is at risk of developing skin cancer, or melanoma.
Melanoma isn’t caused only by sunburns. The sun’s light contains two dangerous types of ultra-violet rays. One is UVB. These are the rays that cause the burning. But sunlight also contains ultra-violet A, or UVA, rays. What are these UVA and UVB rays? UVA rays penetrate the deeper into the skin and affect the immune system’s capacity to fight off skin cancer. The cell damage caused with each sunburn is one factor in increasing cancer and the attack on the immune system is another.
Even people who do not getting frequent sunburns, should still be concerned about exposure to both types of UV rays. Sunscreens block out these rays. It is very important to wear sunblock whenever you will be outside in the sun for a long time, like a day at the beach. That stands to reason. But sunscreens are also important for even minimal time in the sun.
This includes walking to and from your car! Even spending a few minutes in the sun will contribute to the risk. While UVB rays, those that cause the skin to burn, cannot penetrate glass, UVA rays CAN. This means that even when you are sitting inside, you are still exposing your skin to harmful sun rays.
Have you ever seen someone who has one arm tan and the other isn’t? Even people whose sunburns don’t turn to tan will experience this. They may laugh and call it “driver’s arm.” That is because through the car window, they will not get burned by the UVB rays, but they will be exposed to the harmful UVA rays.
Sunscreens are given an ‘SPF’ rating. What is SPF? SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. This number compares the amount of time a person will burn with the sunscreen as opposed to without it. It only refers to the amount of time it will take to burn. For example, let’s look at SPF 10. This means that a person who would normally burn in 10 minutes, will burn in 10x that time, or 100 minutes (a little over an hour and a half.)
So how do you select a sunscreen? Look for products that provide protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Key ingredients you will want in your sunscreen are: Avobenzone, Cinoxate, Ecamsule, Menthyl anthranilate, Octyl methoxycinnamate, Octyl salicylate, Oxybenzone, Sulisobenzone, Titanium dioxide, or Zinc oxide.
Doing all you can to avoid sun exposure is pivotal to lowering the risk of skin cancers. It is best to wear a hat, keep your skin covered and try to find shade when you can! For times when you can’t, wear sunscreens!
When you go outside into the sun for a long period of time, make sure you apply sunscreen. Sunscreens will help protect the skin. Remember to research it and search for the best for the best protection.
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