Protect, Correct and Improve Your Skin This Summer
When it comes to protecting skin, knowing which sunblock is the best is a daunting task. Once in the skincare aisle, we often find ourselves a bit disoriented, staring at the great wall of products with labels that all guarantee the ultimate protection from sunburn. We’d take an educated guess and pick the same product as “Jennifer Aniston uses” or maybe the one with an SPF of one hundred. A sunscreen with a higher SPF number offers more protection for your skin, right? Yes, but only to a point.
The Effect of Ultraviolet Rays on Our Skin
There are two types of harmful Ultraviolet rays that can damage the DNA in our skin cells: UVA rays and UVB. UVB rays cause sunburn (remember: B is for Burn), and UVA rays cause long-term damaging effects (A is for premature Aging). An SPF number refers mainly to the amount of protection it provides from UVB rays. A sunscreen with SPF of 30 blocks about 97% of UVB rays; an SPF 50 blocks about 98%. That doesn’t seem like a big difference, does it? So, what does the number really represent?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. The SPF number is a relative measure of how long it would take for the UVB rays to cause sunburn while using the sunscreen, assuming you use it correctly, versus how long it would take to cause sunburn without any sunscreen. On average, it takes about 15 minutes for unprotected skin to burn. So, ideally, with SPF of 30, it would take 30 times longer (7.5 hours) to burn. However, this protection is not guaranteed and may create a false sense of security.
So, before you determine which SPF is best for your needs, you have to factor in a few things such as your skin type, time of day/year, geographical location and even the medicine you take. And don’t forget that, despite labels, all sunscreens decrease in effectiveness when exposed to water or sweat. No matter what the SPF number is, it is always best to reapply sunscreen at least every two hours.
Physical Sunscreens vs Chemical Sunscreens
There are two types of sunscreens: chemical and physical. Physical blockers contain mineral components such as Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide and work by sitting on the skin surface, creating a shield, and reflecting the sun’s rays away from the skin. Broad-spectrum, physical sunscreens offer protection against both UVA and UVB rays, work immediately, tend to last longer and are ideal for sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Chemical blockers contain organic, carbon-based ingredients such as oxybenzone, avobenzone and octinoxate, which once absorbed into the skin, capture UV rays, and then turn the UV rays into heat and release them from the skin. Cosmetically elegant, chemical blockers are usually used in make-up and moisturizers and are suitable for daily use. Even though chemical sunscreens tend to degrade faster, they’re less likely to wash off, perfect for darker skin tones and active lifestyles. Both chemical and physical sunscreens are effective and may be used together by layering a physical blocker over top of chemical for optimal protection when you’re spending a lot of time outdoors.
The overall strategy to decrease the risk of sunburn, early skin aging and even skin cancer, is to apply broad-spectrum sunscreen SPF 30 or higher liberally and often, wear a sun-protective hat and clothing, and limit time in the sun during peak hours between 10 AM to 2 PM.
Choose the Best Sun Protection for Your Needs
At de Ramon Plastic Surgery Institute, we offer SkinCeuticals award-winning sunscreens, suited for your individual needs, all skin types and lifestyles. Our personal favorite for the face is SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 tinted sunscreen. This silky, weightless physical blocker goes on smoothly, dries quickly and provides a high level of broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection while boosting skin radiance.
Protecting your skin from the sun’s damaging rays is an important part of maintaining youthful-looking skin. Both Dr. de Ramon and esthetician Sofia Zharkova can evaluate patients’ skin and offer products, treatments and regimens to protect, correct and improve tone, texture and brightness. A free consultation with our esthetician is available for patients seeking improvement.
