Sunscreen Protection for Healthy Skin

It’s easy to think of skin care as a variety of over-the-counter creams or a trip to the spa with your friends, but protecting your skin from the sun can be one of the most beneficial ways to get healthier skin. Using sunscreen is a fast and affordable part of skin care with lifelong benefits.

Benefits of Using Sunscreen

Many people only think of using sunscreen when they are playing sports or going to the beach; however, sunscreen is actually important to use in everyday life, too. Just one ounce of sunscreen can be instrumental in protecting your skin from sunburn and other forms of UV damage. Additionally, as one in every three cancers diagnosed is some form of melanoma, it’s important to protect your skin from excess exposure to sunlight.

Which SPF Is Right for Me?

If you’ve ever shopped for sunscreen, you may have been confused by numbers and claims on each bottle. SPF, which stands for “sun protection factor,” indicates how many minutes more your skin is protected from the sun’s UVB rays. For example, if you get sunburnt after ten minutes unprotected, then a sunscreen with SPF 30 would prevent sunburn for 300 minutes. Using this information, it’s easy to see that SPF 30 is adequate for most people.

How Often Should I Apply Sunscreen?

While many point to the benefits of Vitamin D, which come from exposure to sunlight, it is also just as clear that extended exposure to the sun can be very damaging to skin, and potentially life-threatening. Sunscreen should be applied thirty minutes before sun exposure and especially after a few hours in the sun, regardless of its SPF rating.

Don’t Skip Out on Sunscreen Protection!

As you can imagine, sunscreen is one of the most commonly forgotten aspects of skin care. However, with the prevalence of skin cancers and desire to tan, it’s vital one remembers to wear sunscreen. Choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen and applying it properly whenever you go outside is a cheap and easy way to get healthier skin today.