Most of the sunscreen product advertisements talk about SPFs and make us feel that, greater the SPF, better the protection. Honestly most of us don’t even know what SPF really is. Or what it does. Or the kind that we need.
To end the confusion, we’ll go through all the concerns.
SPF Sunscreen. What is it?
SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is the duration of time your skin would take to burn when not wearing sunscreen due to UVB rays as compared to the span of time taken when you put on sunscreen.
For example, if you start burning your skin after 3 minutes of staying out in the sun, applying the commonly recommended SPF 30 before going out would make sure that you stay protected for (3*30) 90 minutes in the sun.
SPF is classified into the following types :-
Low: (4, 6, 8, 10)
Medium: (15, 20, 25)
High: (30, 40, 50)
Very high: (50+)
Which SPF Cream to buy
Most SPF creams vary from 15 to 50. Sometimes people think that a lotion with higher SPF will give them full protection, but this is incorrect.
Reality is:
– SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays
– SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays
– SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays
This means that SPF 30 provides just 4% more protection compared to SPF 15, and SPF 50 provides 1% more protection than SPF 30! When buying an SPF cream, look for extensive range sunscreens that not only block UVB rays, but UVA rays, as well.
SPF and skin complexion
SPF also depends on skin complexion. People with a darker complexion usually need a comparatively lesser SPF number as they are blessed with built-in SPF, but that should not be a reason to not put on sunscreen openhandedly.
How to use the SPF cream?
The best way to protect your skin is to apply 2mg/cm square of lotion onto your skin and retouch it every 2-3 hours. Some people buy a moisturizer with higher SPF but don’t apply the right quantity needed for proper protection.
We habitually skip putting our sunscreen lotion on when out on a cloudy, rainy day. But, even on those days we must put our sunscreen on, as UV rays manage to reach Earth on damp days, as well and cause a mayhem on everyone’s skin.
In Short look for the following when buying a sunscreen
- Check the SPF number between 15 to 50 and pick the one as per your requirement
- Go for Broad-spectrum sunscreen
- Confirm that the sunscreen is water-resistant
Hopefully, you’re well informed now and will keep all these things in mind while buying our sunscreen
