A lot! Why? No sunscreen is 100% effective at preventing burning and skin damage — but sunscreen can increase the amount of time you can be outside.
The amount to be applied should match the length of time you are outside. Study shows that SPF 100 when compared with SPF 50, makes a real difference in protecting your skin against damage and burns. Many already asked me if that should be necessary, while it’s a yes, at minimum, you’ll want SPF 30.
I have a friend that does not like wearing SPFs or sunscreen mainly because higher SPFs tend to be stickier. But that extra protection is worth it for a beach day, even if you don’t want to opt for it daily.
UVA and UVB Protection
I will make this simple, the sun emits different types of light rays, two of which are primarily responsible for damaging your skin: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB).
I need you to remember UVB as UV Burn, this one burns your skin. So, the one that causes you to peel and make you red, and includes the stinging there was caused by UVB. However, UVA should be remembered as UV Aging, this one is trickier! You can’t feel this — because they affect your skin beneath the surface even when you can’t feel it burning.
For that reason, you’ll want to make sure your sunscreen says “broad spectrum,” “UVA/UVB protection,” or “multi-spectrum” on the label.
The Difference Between Physical and Chemical Sunscreen
After searching so many pieces of information about sunscreen, you’ll often read or hear physical (or mineral) and chemical sunscreens. These terms refer to the active ingredients used.
Physical (mineral) sunscreens simply have the ingredients that create the protective barrier on the surface of your skin. UV Rays are bounced back by the ingredients! According to a study, physical sunscreen suggests that it actually protects skin by absorbing up to 95 percent of the rays.
Beauty facts! The best practice is to apply 30 minutes before venturing outside to allow the sunscreen to bind to your skin. Reapply every two hours of exposure and immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
I have BRUSH ON BLOCK – BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 30 – SUNSCREEN – MINERAL POWDER. What’s great about this is that you can apply and reapply with ease, just like applying powder! It can be worked over, under, or without makeup and is safe for children and sensitive skin.
It has a translucent and touch of the tan color. No greasy texture! It does not mess your hands and leave your face with that white residue coming from some sunscreens out there.
REFILLABLE! Yes, you can just buy the brush ONCE and refill it! To help reduce plastics in our oceans and landfills, this is a great buy! Know more here.
Chemical (organic) sunscreen causes a chemical reaction that converts the UV light into heat so that it can’t harm the skin. Chemical sunscreens absorb into your skin like lotion instead of forming a barrier on top of the skin.
I encourage my patients to use whichever kind they prefer but cautions that when opting for a purely physical sunscreen, you need to look for one with at least a 10% concentration of zinc oxide in order to get broad-spectrum coverage.
At the end of the day, the best sunscreen is the one you’re going to use. Wear a hat, invest in sun-protective clothing, and stay in the shade or indoors — especially in the bright afternoon sun between noon and 4 p.m.
Keep safe,
Mary
Joshua D. Williams, Prithwiraj Maitra, Evren Atillasoy, Mei-Miau Wu, Aaron S. Farberg, Darrell S. Rigel, SPF 100+ sunscreen is more protective against sunburn than SPF 50+ in actual use: Results of a randomized, double-blind, split-face, natural sunlight exposure clinical trial, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology,Volume 78, Issue 5, 2018.; World Health Organization, Radiation: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, 2016.; (https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/radiation-ultraviolet-(uv)) U.S. Food & Drug Administration, FDA announces new requirements for over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen products marketed in the U.S., 2011.; (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fda-announces-new-requirements-over-counter-otc-sunscreen-products-marketed-us); Cole, C., Shyr, T. and Ou-Yang, H. (2016), Metal oxide sunscreens protect skin by absorption, not by reflection or scattering. Photodermatol. Photoimmunol. Photomed., 32: 5-10.;