UV rays emitted from the sun cause sunburn, premature aging, pigmentation, and dehydration in the skin. Moreover, excessive sun exposure leads to serious medical conditions like skin cancer. Thus, compromising your sunscreen is a big NO. It is an essential product to achieve healthy glowing skin.
There are a variety of sunscreens like vitamin C sunscreen or de-tan sunscreen available in the market containing different numbers of SPF. It is crucial to understand which sunscreen and what quantity of SPF should be applied to the skin.
What is The Role of Sunscreen: What Does It Do?
Sunscreen is a skincare product infused with various active ingredients to protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays. If you are confused or don’t know about UVA and UVB rays then here is a short explanation for you to understand the different types of UV rays
UVA rays: This is a type of ultravirus ray that is very harmful and dangerous. It penetrates the deeper layer of the skin and is responsible for issues like skin cancer, aging, pigmentation, and tanning.
UVB rays: It is less harmful than UVA rays and only affect the top layer of the skin. Exposure to UVB rays leads to sunburn and damages the skin.
Sunscreen helps to either absorb or reflect these rays and prevent premature aging, sunburn, and other damage to the skin.
Meaning of SPF
SPF stands for sun protection factor. The higher the SPF, the greater the protection. In simple terms, the number next to SPF indicates how many minutes it will protect your skin. E.g. if you are using sunscreen with SPF 30 then it will delay the damage timing to 30 minutes.
Astonishing Benefits of Sunscreen
Sunscreen provides various benefits to the skin. It surely protects your skin from UV radicals but also has some surprising benefits that hardly a few people know of.
Sunscreen plays a major role in brightening your skin.
For instance, vitamin C sunscreen protects your skin as well as regulates melanin production, reducing pigmentation and dark spots on the skin. Some sunscreens also have anti-inflammatory properties that soothe and calm irritated skin.
Sunscreen prevents the formation of free radicals that damage the skin and cause premature aging. It improves skin elasticity and delays aging signs. In short, sunscreen helps to maintain healthy, smooth, and nourished skin.
Busting the Common Myths About Sunscreen
Sunscreen should only be applied While going out:
This is the most common myth about sunscreen, you need to apply sunscreen even when you stay indoors. This is because along with UV rays protection sunscreen also protects the skin from blue lights emitted out of mobiles and computers.
Dark-Toned Skin Doesn’t Need Sunscreen:
This is another common myth about sunscreen, whether or not you have dark skin, applying sunscreen is a must. Sunburns and skin cancer can be caused even on dark skin. Sunscreens help to protect the skin from these damages
Applying Sunscreen Once is Enough For the Day:
Sunscreen needs to be applied every two hours to get the desired result. It is a continuous process, sunscreen containing any number of SPF does not last long for more than 2 hours. Thus, sunscreen should be applied frequently.
Sunscreen is For Summers:
The biggest myth about sunscreen is that it is only applied in summer or when it’s sunny. UV rays are equally strong and harmful in other seasons, thus it is necessary to apply sunscreen even when it’s cloudy or rainy.
(Note: Although sunscreen is supposed to be applied indoors, it is important to understand that it shouldn’t be applied during the night as it can disturb the natural repair function of skin)
Verdict
It is crucial to ensure that sunscreen is incorporated into your skincare routine. It is important to know that different sunscreens available in the market target different concerns. Thus, proper knowledge of the product and its ingredients is vital.
