Sunscreen

With summer coming full force, its only necessary to bring up the topic of sunscreen.  Sunscreen is designed to block off UV, which damage your skin and cause sunburn.  The effectiveness of sunscreen is measured in Sun Protection Factor (SPF), and the higher the SPF, the better protected you are from the sun.  It is recommended to use a sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 30.


When to Apply
Use sunscreen when you know you'll be outside; it just takes 15 minutes to get sun damage.  Don't just wear sunscreen on hot summer days, UV rays can still penetrate through clouds on a cloudy day!


How to Apply
As a good rule of thumb, use two fingers worth of sunscreen for each body part.  Apply sunscreen 20 minutes prior to sun exposure, and apply another layer right when you are exposed to the sun for best results.  Don't forget to apply sun protection every two hours since the sunscreen will wear out.


Benefits from Using Sunscreen

The obvious benefit from using sunscreen is to prevent sunburn.  The most important use of sun protection is to prevent skin cancer, which is caused by excessive exposure to the sun.  When you choose a sunscreen, look for the Skin Cancer Foundation logo on the packaging.  This logo shows that a product has been approved for its effectiveness for sun protection by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Did you know that it also can be used to prevent signs of aging?  Ninety percent of aging comes from the sun, which damages collagen, the protein in the skin that provides skin elasticity.  By using sunscreen regularly, not only will you prevent yourself from being sunburned, but you can also prevent signs of skin aging.  Prevention is always always better that treatment.