The SPF number tells you how long the sun’s UV radiation would take to make your skin red when using the product exactly as directed versus the amount of time without any sunscreen. So ideally, with SPF 30 it would take you 30 times longer to burn than if you weren’t wearing sunscreen. Another way of looking at this is if your skin would normally burn after 10 minutes in the sun, applying an SPF 30 sunscreen would allow you to stay in the sun without burning for approximately 300 minutes. This is a rough estimate that depends on skin type, intensity of sunlight and amount of sunscreen used. SPF is actually a measure of protection from amount of UVB exposure and it is not meant to help you determine duration of exposure.
Most people under-apply sunscreens, using ¼ to ½ the amount required. Using half, the required amount of sunscreen only provides the square root of the SPF. So, a half application of an SPF 30 sunscreen only provides an effective SPF of 5.5!
Is higher SPF better?
Sunscreens with really high SPFs, such as SPF 75 or SPF 100, do not offer significantly greater protection than SPF 30 and mislead people into thinking they have more protection than they actually do. Additionally, in order to have broad spectrum protection, the UVA protection should be at least 1/3 of the UVB protection. High SPF sunscreens usually offer far greater UVB than UVA protection, thus offering a false sense of full protection.
Why zinc oxide in our sunscreen?
Sunscreen with Zinc is the only sunscreen ingredient that protects against the entire spectrum of UVA and UVB, something that no other sunscreen component can do. People often use the term “SPF” interchangeably with “sunscreen.” SPF (sun protection factor) only gives you information on the degree of UVB protection, but it doesn’t tell you anything about UVA. This is unfortunate as UVA is responsible for aging and most of the long-term effects we see from the sun. So if you want protection from UVA rays, then you’ll want to choose a sunscreen containing zinc oxide.
Mineral Sunscreen vs. Organic Sunscreen
It’s important to be mindful of the potentially harmful effects of “traditional” products that you may have relied on in the past. Chemicals in sunscreen are used because they can be made into inexpensive products at a high SPF, but in reality, they are highly unstable and degrade quickly in high temperatures. By using mineral sunscreen products, you can make a definitive choice to keep your body and the environment as healthy as possible.
So which Sunscreen to purchase,
At Spade, we have evaluated and tested number of different Sunscreen products to which we can recommend what is best for your skin. Schedule your free skin analysis appointment today. Click Here>>>
