Sunscreen: All There is to Know About Sunscreen and SPF
Sunscreen
I cannot emphasize this enough: everyone should be wearing #sunscreen every day! According to the CDC, “the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes.” We all want beautiful, healthy skin, right? I know I do! As most of you are well aware, sun exposure can certainly cause uncomfortable sunburns. More worrisome, though, sun exposure can lead to skin aging, unwanted spots via hyperpigmentation, and skin cancer. Moreover, the FDA reports that skin cancer is "the most common of all cancers.”
Living in Colorado, it’s especially important to wear sunscreen as the sun’s rays are extremely harsh at our high altitude. And with over 300 days of sunshine, a skin catastrophe is just waiting to happen! That being said, I want all of you to be generously applying sunscreen—especially on your faces—even though the summer is coming to an end.
Some of the Facts
There are two types of sunscreen that are known as either chemical or physical sunscreen; you may commonly see these sunscreens marketed as either organic or inorganic sunscreen/sunblock, respectively.
According to Cosmetics Business, Eileen Zhang says that chemical sunscreens “are a group of carbon-containing compounds designed to absorb UV radiation.” David Harvey, M.D., from Piedmont Healthcare further explains how this type of sunscreen works. The skin basically absorbs chemical sunscreen (i.e., organic sunscreen) in order to work its magic; this type of sunscreen absorbs the sun’s UV rays and then converts them into heat, ultimately releasing the absorbed UV rays from the body. The active ingredients that are commonly found in chemical sunscreen include avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone. Dr. Harvey says that this type of sunscreen is better for you if you’re sweating a lot throughout the day (e.g., good for swimming or exercising) and/or if you prefer your sunscreen to absorb more quickly into the skin (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare).
With physical sunscreen (i.e., inorganic sunscreen), according to Dr. Harvey, the sunscreen “sits on top of the skin and reflects the sun’s rays” (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare). There are several reflective properties at play when using physical sunscreen (which Sarah Gabros and Patrick Zito further discuss in this NCBI article if you are interested in more of the specifics of physical sunscreen); therefore, the percentage of the sun’s UV rays that are actually reflected depends on many factors. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the main active ingredients commonly found in physical sunscreen (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare). If your physical sunscreen contains zinc oxide, you will actually notice some acne-related benefits for your skin. Zinc oxide is a potent, would-healing ingredient which is anti-inflammatory—it may help with your breakouts! Dr. Harvey says that this type of sunblock is better suited for sensitive skin since it is less irritating. It’s also more moisturizing, but it can feel somewhat heavy on the skin (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare).
Dr. Harvey wraps up his discussion on chemical and physical sunscreens by addressing acne-prone and/or sensitive skin. He says, “Some sunscreens can reduce the appearance of blemishes and discoloration because they contain niacinamide,” which is a form of vitamin B3 (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare).
To Make a Long Story Short
At the end of the day, just make sure your sunscreen is BROAD SPECTRUM so that your skin is protected from both UVA and UVB radiation (David Harvey, M.D., Piedmont Healthcare). I recommend using an SPF of at least 30 just to be safe. Yes, the summer is coming to an end, but don’t assume that it’s no longer necessary to wear sunscreen. Just because the days are shortening and temperatures are dropping does not mean that you no longer need to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV radiation. Sunscreen is your number-one, anti-aging skincare product—there’s never a time to disregard protecting your skin.
Give me a call if you’re interested in learning more about a sunscreen that’s perfect for your skin type—I’d love to answer any of your questions!