Still wondering if you need sunscreen unless you’re going on a beach vacation? We have an argument that will dispel all doubts about such an addition to the usual care: daily skin care loses its effectiveness if you do not use products with sun protection filters every day before going outside. And if you have fair skin, then sunscreen should be part of your year-round basic care. Why sunscreens are so important for the skin of the face, how to choose the right sunscreen for the face, what to pay attention to when buying, etc. – this is exactly what we will talk about in today’s article.
What to look for when buying a sunscreen for the face
When choosing sunscreen for the face, there are several important aspects that must be taken into account:
✔ what form of sunscreen is convenient for you (spray, milk, cream, stick pencil, powder, etc. — because the protection will have to be updated throughout the day),
✔ what type of radiation does sunscreen protect against
✔ what degree of protection is required for your skin type and season,
✔ what type of filter is used in the composition of the sunscreen,
✔ what substances are included in sun protection (except the filter),
✔ who made sunscreen.
How to understand what rays a sunscreen protects against
If you’ve looked at sunscreen packaging, you’ve noticed that some just say SPF, while others say SPF and PA. Ideally, you need to buy a second version of the sunscreen. Because that means you have a broad-spectrum sunscreen in front of you.
You probably know from school that there are three types of sun rays—UVA, UVB, and UVC. The latter – short-wave ultraviolet – does not pose any danger to the skin, as long as our planet is protected by the atmosphere. But UVA (long-wave ultraviolet, 315-400 nm) and UVB (medium-wave ultraviolet, 280-315 nm) reach the skin and affect it negatively.
UVB rays are the most “toxic” radiation that reaches the surface of the planet. They not only leave burns on the skin, which we call tanning, but also negatively affect our DNA, provoke cell mutation processes, and are one of the factors in the growth of cancer tumors. A sun protection factor labeled as SPF protects against UVB. The concentration of the sun protection factor in a cosmetic can be understood by the number next to the SPF label. The higher the concentration, the longer the protection of the skin against burns caused by type B solar radiation.
UVA rays are 90% of the ultraviolet that reaches the skin. They provoke photoaging (one of the consequences of skin atrophy is a reduction in collagen synthesis in the matrix and a decrease in cell turnover) and hyperpigmentation. You can understand how much a sunscreen is able to resist UVA radiation using the PA index. The degree of protection and effectiveness of the formula of a sunscreen against UVA is indicated not by numbers, as in SPF, but by a “+” sign. The more pluses, the stronger the protection.
