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What Is In Sunscreen And How Does It Protect Your Skin

By: Adrian Fletcher

Skin cancer is an increasingly common disease that is thought to be caused by over exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This combined with certain genetic predispositions, like fair skin, can make a person particularly vulnerable to developing skin cancer. Most people get exposed to UV radiation from spending time in the Sun. As it is practically impossible to avoid being in the Sun, minimizing the amount of time spent in the Sun or limiting it's impact on the skin is often advised. This article will cover some of the ways to protect yourself from the damaging affect of the Sun. It concentrates on how sunscreen can protect you from developing skin cancer.

The first thing to point out is that sunscreen should never be seen as the only thing you can do to limit your exposure to sunlight. It should be used in conjunction with some of the points mentioned below.

Avoiding over exposure to UV rays is done by avoiding exposure to the Sun. The worst time to be in the sun is around midday when it is high in the sky. A few hours either side of this time are also bad. Try to avoid being in the Sun around this time. If you are in the Sun around this time, or any time for that matter, take precautions.

Wear clothing that can protect your skin form sunlight. Darker colored clothing works better than lighter colors. cover your arms and legs if practical or comfortable.

Wear a hat with a wide brim. You could also use a sun umbrella if you don't like hats but a hat is the best method of protecting the scalp and face.

Wear UV protective sunglasses as the eyes can also be damaged by UV rays.

If you have done all these things then you should think about sunscreen. Cover the parts of your body that are not covered by clothing. Some people suggest wearing sunscreen under clothing for added protection, especially on the arms or legs but this might not be comfortable or practical.

Sunscreen comes in two forms. There is chemical sunscreens that absorb UV rays and physical sunscreens that reflect the UV rays (sometimes referred to as sun blocks).

The sun protection factor (SPF) of a sunscreen is often used to illustrate it's strength and effectiveness. Most advice suggests that you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30+. However the SPF of a sunscreen only applies to UVB radiation. Although this is thought to be the worst form of radiation for skin cancer, recent research suggest that UVA radiation can be just as bad. If you want a sunscreen that protects against both UVB and UVA radiation then you should look at what is marketed as broad spectrum sunscreen.

Sunscreens that act as a sunblock are best if you have to spend plenty of time out in the Sun. No doubt you have seen people wearing such creams on the nose or lips. It is almost like a paint that they have applied to the skin. This puts many people off using such creams but they are the best way to protect your skin from the Sun.

Sunblock sunscreen will have either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in them (they are also sometimes referred to as zinc cream). If you don't appreciate having a large band of zinc cream across your nose then an alternative is ultramicronized titanium or zinc sunscreens. They are transparent but do the same job of reflecting UV rays.

Always reapply sunscreen every 2 hours regardless of if you are active or not. Go for a sunscreen that you like on the skin as this makes it more likely that you will continue to use and reapply it.

Article Source: Main Articles

Get more information on common signs of skin cancer and different types of skin cancer then visit symptomsofskincancer.net

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