Sun Protection: What to Look For

As with all skin care, it’s hard to find the right sun protection. We obviously need it to protect from sun damage but also find one that best suits our skin type or concern. There are a few things to consider, and knowing what to look for will make choosing much easier.

UV damage is the cause of 90% of the skin’s ageing. Things such as fine lines, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and sagging are accelerated as a result. Exposure to UV rays also increase your risk of skin cancer.

The regular use of sun protection allows your skin cells to focus on tasks that improve the quality of your skin, such as shedding dead skin cells and building collagen, rather than fighting environmental effects. It’s not just about preventing further damage, but actually improving the natural repairing abilities and overall health of your skin.

You should be using a minimum of factor 30, reapplying throughout the day and ensuring that it’s broad spectrum to ensure full protection from all damage caused by UV rays.

UVA and UVB

There are two types of UV in our atmosphere; UVA and UVB. UVA rays go deep into the skin causing wrinkles and attack the collagen that keeps our skin supple and firm. UVB rays cause sunburns linked to a higher risk of skin cancer and increase melanin synthesis causing pigmentation. All UV rays are damaging to the skin. Always make sure that your suncream is protective against both of these by checking that it’s broad spectrum. If there were a small and easy step that you could take in your day to protect yourself from their risks, then why wouldn’t you?! That step is wearing an SPF!

Types of Sun Protection

There are two types of sun protection; Physical and Chemical. There is quite a big difference between the two and it’s important to know what these are, especially if you‘re having advanced treatments.

Chemical Sun Protection

A chemical SPF sinks into the skin absorbing UV rays. These UV rays are then transferred into heat by the chemical formulation and then released from the skin. It takes a little while for chemical SPF to become effective as it needs around 30 minutes to fully absorb into the skin. Have you ever noticed on holiday that you may sweat more, have increased redness and sometimes even a rash may appear? This is likely to have happened from the chemical SPF and the way that it works.

• Can be irritating to the skin.

• Penetrates into the skin.

• Takes 30 - 40 minutes to work.

• May contain Oxybenzone and Octinoxate. Studies have shown both to cause coral bleaching and pose a significant danger to marine life. These two ingredients are also known allergens.

Physical Sun Protection

Physical sun protection, also known as mineral sun protection, sits on the top of the skin acting as a barrier. The UV rays are reflected and never enter the skin. There are many benefits to using one:

• Non irritating, meaning that it‘s a great choice for acne, sensitive and young skin.

• Immediate protection.

• Anti-inflammatory and soothing.

• Made with natural minerals.

• Formulated with Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide.

• Safe for the oceans as they don’t cause coral bleaching or affect marine life.

As I mentioned before, during advanced treatments you are advised to avoid any heat and doing anything that may cause heat to the skin. With the way that a chemical sunscreen works, you can be at risk of heating the acids applied, resulting in burns and redness. It’s always recommended to use a physical SPF to not only maintain the results more effectively but also to avoid any adverse reactions such as these; and with it’s soothing properties, it‘s just what your skin will need. Likewise, if you’ve just had a chemical peel you will need to look for an SPF which doesn’t add moisture as the peeling process will be affected and minimise treatment results.

Remember, UV rays are in our atmosphere everyday of the year, so we should apply an SPF daily as the final stage to our skincare routine regardless of the weather. Always look for a broad spectrum SPF, this protects against both UVA and UVB rays. The ’SPF’ in your makeup isn’t enough protection, adding a true SPF into your skin care regimen is an absolute must.