Who Should Wear Sunscreens And Why?
Simply put, everybody should! Not all skin is the same. The amount of pigment in the skin varies from person to person. That is why some people will have higher sensitivity to the sun and burn easily, and never tan. Some people will experience a little bit of tanning but a lot of burning. Then there are those who tan easily and quickly yet rarely burn. It seems to make sense that for those who are not as sun-sensitive there should be less worry about sun exposure. Unfortunately that is not the case. While some people are not prone to sunburns, they are still at risk of developing melanoma, the most prevalent form of skin cancer. Nobody is immune to the risk and everyone should wear sunscreens!
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.
Just because you aren’t actually burning, the risk is still there. Every time you are exposed to the sun, you are exposed to these ultra-violet rays. Sunscreens are made to block out the UVA and UVB rays. Applying a sun block is important no matter how much time you will be spent in the sun, not just if you plan to be outside for a long time or lying at the beach.
Simple trips to and from your car will also leave you exposed! Even when you are indoors, you are still exposed to the sun’s rays. Though you will not get a sunburn while inside, you are still open to UV rays. You may say “Nobody ever got a sunburn from sitting inside the house. So, how can that be true?” It’s because the UVA rays can get through glass. UVB rays can’t and that’s why there is no sunburn. But UVA rays can and they are causing damage everywhere.
If you question this, consider ‘driver’s arm.’ This is the occurrence of a person having one arm tanner than the other. This arm is not red, or burned; it is tan. Even a very fair-skinned person whose skin won’t normally tan will have this happen. It is from sun coming in the car window. The burning UVB rays are not getting through the glass but the skin-penetrating UVA rays are. These rays are actually just as harmful than those that cause the burn.
So sunscreens are important to block out these rays. What about the SPF factor? SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, is a calculation of the time it takes the skin to burn. It compares skin with the sunblock to skin without the sunblock. For example, an SPF 10 on a person who normally burns in 10 minutes, will increase the time it takes for that person to burn to 100 minutes.
In addition to the SPF, which helps prevent burning, you will also want to look for key ingredients that block out both types of ultra-violet rays. Some of these ingredients are: Oxybenzone, Sulisobenzone, Titanium dioxide, Avobenzone, Cinoxate, Ecamsule, Menthyl anthranilate, Octyl methoxycinnamate, Octyl salicylate, or Zinc oxide.
To help prevent skin cancer, it is important to limit sun exposure. Wear hats, keep yourself covered up, try to find a shady spot whenever you are outside and always apply sunscreens!
When you go out into the sun for a long period of time, make sure you apply sunscreen. Sunscreens will help protect your skin. Remember to research it and find the best for the ultimate protection.