Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About SPF & Sun Protection
Confused between SPF 50 or 70?? Well, there is a lot more to know about this famous word. But, let us first talk about our very favorite sun, which arises the need to inculcate SPF in our skin care regime. Obviously, the sun feels good, all warm and happy, but it has got a dark side too. Even if you don’t get much burned or tanned, practicing unsafe sun care may lead to all sorts of nasty stuff to your skin.
As we all know, exposure to the sun’s rays can cause long-term damage such as not only skin cancer but also signs of ageing including pigmentation and fine lines. Sun care hauls have become a ritualistic part of every day routine and pre-holiday prep. It is quite common to know the importance of wearing sunscreen while sunbathing or on the beach. But you should also know the fact that wearing SPF is essential all year round. So even though you enjoy the sun in your garden or a local park, SPF knowledge is important for everyone.
Wearing sunscreen means skincare 101, but it can be really confusing if you don’t really know what SPF means.
What Does SPF Really Mean?
The most commonly used sunscreen terminology is SPF. SPF stands for Sun Protection Power which measures how effective sunscreen or a sun care product is at protecting your skin from the harmful sun rays, the rays that may burn skin, and can cause cancer. This means that a sunscreen with high SPF comes with certain molecules and pigments to offer skin protection by absorbing or reflecting the UV rays that cause skin damage.
To understand the term in detail, let us first know other factors that are commonly considered for sun protection such as UVA and UVB.
Both UVA and UVB rays are types of ultraviolet rays from the sun that reach the earth’s surface. The UVB rays are not known to penetrate quite as deeply as UVA rays, but they majorly cause sunburn and also play the biggest role in causing skin cancer. UVA rays are also contributors to the formation of skin cancer. They penetrate into the deeper portions of the skin, which leads to premature ageing and wrinkling of the skin. UVA rays make up 95 percent of the UV rays that reach the earth’s surface.
The Sun Protection Factor listed for a particular sunscreen reflects the degree of protection against UVB rays. A general recommendation by the dermatologists is to use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. This is recommended for its correlation to provide protection against 97 percent of the sun’s UVB rays. The growing trends of buying ultrahigh ratings of 100 or above actually are not that much more protective than an SPF 50, which blocks 98 percent of UVB rays. To ensure that you are using a sunscreen that offers sufficient protection against UVB and UVA rays, you should look for the term “broad-spectrum.”
A Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen
A sunscreen having ingredients that offer protection from both UVB rays that burn skin, and UVA rays, which cause damage like collagen breakdown, is known as a broad-spectrum sunscreen. For utmost sun protection, dermatologists recommend using sunscreens labeled as “broad-spectrum” and have botanical ingredients.
Oriental Botanics’ Aloe Vera, Green Tea & Cucumber Sunscreen SPF 50 is broad-spectrum sunscreen enriched with botanical ingredients for superior protection from UV rays and a contributor advanced skincare. It is a great product that combines sun protection with skincare. This sunscreen works synergistically with plant actives to provide the highest level of protection from solar radiation. With SPF 50, it forms a protective umbrella on your skin, which is capable of blocking 98% of UVB rays that are responsible for sunburn, tanning, and patchy uneven complexion. With PA+++, it is highly effectual in shielding the skin from UVA rays that penetrate deep into the skin and trigger premature ageing of the skin. Slathering the sunscreen on all the exposed areas of the body help in averting the cumulative effect of sun exposure and minimizing the signs of photoaging.
Sun Protection:
As the need for adequate protection from the sun becomes more urgent and is necessary, you will find sunscreens with different SPFs in all the beauty stores that promise complete protection. However, there is a lot of probability that you might be missing on the differences among SPFs.
There are a lot of questions that trouble you while you buy SPF. Is your sun protection good enough? Should you get SPF 30, 50, or do you need more? Here’s the information that might help you to answer these important questions.
As SPF of a product reflects the amount of time when your skin remains protected after application, it probably means that a product with SPF 15 can prevent sun damage 15 times longer than usual, the same rule applies for SPF 30, and 50.
It is important to note that you should not be mistaking sunscreen with the highest SPF factors as the most effective formula for you. The thing you actually have to know is the not-too-significant advantage they have over the usual SPF 15, 30, and 50 products.
The truth is, to get the right amount of sun protection you have to consider the amount of time when you will be exposed to the sun, as well as your skin type. Choosing a sunscreen with SPF higher than 50 may shield skin from light, but the protection they offer is a lot similar to that of given by products with SPF 50 or even less.
Tips For Effective Sun Protection:
Make Sunscreen A Daily Ritual: You can keep your beauty ritual simple by using natural beauty products with SPF so you can get the protection you need without adding a step to your routine.
Apply SPF As Frequently As Possible: Dermatologists advise to apply SPF based sunscreen at least every 2 hours when engaging in active activities that will make you perspire more or when swimming. It should be followed even if you have a prolonged exposure to the sun.
Apply The Right Amount: People mostly apply about 25% to 75% of what is required to achieve optimum protection. However, according to experts, the ideal amount for every application is equal to a full-size shot glass.
Do Not Forget Your Lips: As lips are equally exposed to the sun, choose SPF based lip care products for maximum protection. Do not forget to reapply the product as it can be removed easily by simply talking, drinking and eating.
Don’t Miss Other Exposed Areas: There are some parts that people may find less susceptible to sun damage, but they are just as important as the other parts of your body. These include the toes and bottoms of your feet, nape, ears, underarms, and even your eyelids.
Protection Post Sun Exposure: Add products in your skin care routine that offers assistance to the skin post exposure. These are required to soothe and calm the skin after the harsh sun exposure. We recommend you to use Oriental Botanics’ Aloe Vera, Green Tea & Cucumber After Sun Gel. This After-Sun Gel. It is a blend of skin soothers and healers that improve the condition of your skin after sun exposure. It gives your skin a fresh surge of hydration that instantly refreshes and calms down the irritated skin and restores its moisture balance so that your skin feels supple and healthy once again. You need this product for diminishing the harmful effect of cumulative sun exposure, to reduce the premature appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and protect the youthful texture of your skin. It protects your natural skin tone and removes tan, reduces the formation of dark spots and hyperpigmented patches and lightens your skin.
Every Skin Tone Needs Sun Protection: Please note that darker skin tones are just as susceptible to the hazards of sun damage, such as hyperpigmentation and free radical damage, etc. For skin of any color, a key thing is making sure that your sunscreen does not leave an ashy cast in the form of layers on the skin. That definitely cannot be tolerated in 2020! You should beware of physical sunscreens that contain a high concentration of metals such as zinc oxide, which typically give the product a white cast on application. For this, it is essential to double-check the ingredients list on the sun care product if you are unsure.
Applying the right type of sunscreen is one of the major steps towards sun protection. While choosing the most suitable sunscreen, it is important to consider a few major factors such as ingredients, SPF ratings and application instructions for maximum sun protection. We should definitely pay attention to the sun care part of our daily skincare routine.
We have a range of botanical products that are gentle on the skin but still offer numerous benefits. Everyone loves our sun care products. They are one of our best selling products from the entire range. To check out the range, Click Here:
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