Importance of Sunscreens and SPF

Sun safety becomes imperative not only among the elderly people but especially among kids.  Hence it is important to understand the basic principles of keeping young toddlers and kids safe from sun damage particularly with apt sunscreen lotion.

Even studies have shown link between kids having sunburn and in their later life increased chances of developing skin cancer. But most of us are unaware of the fact that 80% of us get exposed to sun in their first 21 years. Even the American cancer society opines that with regular usage of sunscreen among children the chances of skin cancer could be lowered and that too by 78%.

But apart from regular application of sunscreen, see that you protect your child’s eyes with sunglasses and ensure that they are wearing safe head gear like hat or scarf when they are out in the sun. Experts suggest that by evading sun exposure at the peak hours of the day that is between 10 AM to 4 PM, one can protect themselves in better manner.

But that doesn’t mean that any kind of sunscreen should be applied on babies, as not all the sunscreens are safe. It is better to check the label before applying it over the kids whether it is suitable for kids or not. Kids under 6 months should be kept under shade with appropriate covering and clothing.

While choosing the sun screen you may have come across the abbreviation SPF. SPF stands for sun protection factor. This is a measure by which you can tell the product is how much capable of giving protection from the sun. UV rays are the lead cause of skin ailments and cancers.  Also sun blocks are different from sunscreens, while the former deflects the sunrays the later makes use of chemicals and absorbs the UV rays.

A sunscreen with SPF 15 gives 93% of UV protection, while more than SPF 30 is capable in giving only 4% more of UV protection. Ensure that you apply the sunscreen over the sun exposed areas and re-apply throughout the day.