8 Facts About Sunscreen That Most People Don’t Know

With summer well underway, one of the most important tools you can have in your skincare arsenal is sunscreen. You may be ready to head to the beach and soak up the sun, but planning to take care of your skin in the light of UV rays is essential to your skin’s health. Left unprotected, long term exposure to the sun can leave your skin at risk of the dangers of harmful radiation. While you may have gone out to purchase a hand dandy tube of sunscreen, there is actually more to understanding how to properly use this vital skincare product than most people realize. If you want to treat your skin as gloriously as it deserves this summer, check out these facts about sunscreen that most people don’t know.

Broad Spectrum is the best option.

There are two different types of UV rays, Ultraviolet A Rays (UVA) and Ultraviolet B Rays (UVB). UVA causes premature aging and is most common, but UVB is the more dangerous type and typically causes sunburns. Either type of UV rays can cause skin cancer, but broad spectrum protects against both.

Look for sunscreen with at least 30 SPF.

SPF is a sunscreen product’s sun protection factor, and tells you how much the sunscreen can protect against UV radiation. You can block 97 percent of the sun’s UV rays with a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF.

Sunscreen can no longer be advertised as waterproof.

In the past, sunscreen manufacturers could advertise that their products were waterproof. That is no longer allowable and must now be advertised as the following: water resistant, which is effective for about 40 minutes in water; and very water resistant, which is effective for around 80 minutes in water. This means that after being in water or sweating, the AAD suggests reapplying sunscreen every two hours.