Sun Protection Factor (SPF) can be found in sunscreen in order to block your skin from the sun's radiation and should be worn all year round. This may shock some people, so this blog explains why.
SPF blocks your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. fIf your skin has long periods of time exposed to the UVA rays, it can cause sunburn/damage to the sun's thickest layer - the dermis. This then results in fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation.
However, you must remember, the sun isn’t just out in summer, it comes out all year round, it is just a lot stronger within the summer months, therefore a lot more damaging.
For everyday use, it is recommended that you use between factor 15-30 and to apply a more intense factor in the warmer months. It is important to remember when spending a long amount of time in the sun, you should re-apply your sunscreen every 90-120 minutes. You can find instructions on the bottle for the recommended times to re-apply.
There is a long list of benefits for wearing SPF, so we have included a few to really show just how vital it is and why it should be a part of your skincare routine.
How SPF reduces your risk of skin cancer
Sunscreen protects your skin and reduces your chances of forming skin cancer and pre-cancers. By applying SPF along with other sun protection practices such as wearing dark clothes and sunglasses and sun hats, enhance your protection.
It has been said by the Skin Cancer Foundation that wearing sunscreen along with an SPF 15 reduces your chance of getting squamous cell carcinoma by an amazing 40% and your melanoma risk which is the worst form of skin cancer by an outstanding 50%.
Protects your skin against sunburn
The sun is made up of two types of damaging rays, UVA and UVB that we mentioned in our previous blog. The UVA rays which are also found in tanning booths are mainly linked to long term skin dalmatian such as wrinkles, as well as skin cancer.
The UVB rays are what contribute to sunburn and cause most skin cancers. Let’s be honest sunburn is unbearably painful, but not only this, they have a direct link to the deadliest types of skin cancer. Even one lot of sunburn can increase your chances of skin cancer, due to the skin's absorption of ultraviolet rays that damage the genetic material in the skin cells.
We are so fortunate to have a product such as a sunscreen that defends our skin against the harmful UV rays, by reflecting or scattering the sunlight. Why would you not use it?
Prevents early signs of fine lines and wrinkles with SPF
Now, many of us spend many years looking for the most effective anti-ageing cream to stop developing crow’s feet, wrinkles and fine lines. Did you know that one of the most effective preventative formulas for this is actually sunscreen?
When spending lengthy exposure to UVA rays ages your skin very early on which results in a loss of collagen as well as skin elasticity. In actual fact, approximately 90% of visible signs of ageing are caused by sun damage, now there is some food for thought…
Simply introducing SPF into your daily skin routine, you are preventing early signs of ageing with very little effort.
There are many more benefits to wearing SPF on a daily basis such as:
Avoids redness and inflammation
Avoids blotchy skin and hyperpigmentation
Stops DNA damage
To learn more about SPF and the best SPF products to use, please feel free to send us a message on social media, we are more than happy to help.
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