“I just don’t think there’s a sunscreen that gives you enough protection,” Brooke Burke once said and she has been right all along.  Sunscreen should only be used and treated as one part of your sun protection equation.  Add to that, avoiding harsh UV rays as much as you can by staying in the shade, wearing sun protective clothing, putting on your sunglasses, and wearing your broad brimmed hat.

Can SPF 30 Give You Enough Protection?

People’s needs of sunscreen cannot be emphasized enough at a time when the number of skin cancer has seen a rise of approximately 15 times since 1970, and the World Health Organization has already warned that the numbers will keep increasing as global warming sets in.  Yet, while sunscreen should be an integral component of your daily skincare regimen, more or, higher SPF will never give you anywhere close to absolute sun protection.  Here are the top 7 reasons why:

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) only measures your sunscreen’s strength in blocking off UVB only.

Three kinds of UV rays reach the earth: UVA, UVB and UVC.  Only the first two reach the earth’s surface and are constantly in contact with your skin during the day.  UVA refers to the deep penetrating sun rays that cause your skin permanent damages that include wrinkles, age spots and sagging skin. UVB, on the other hand, is what causes your skin to burn. Your sunscreen’s SPF only tells you the strength of UVB protection that you are getting.

SPF tells you how long your sunscreen is able to prolong your burn time when your skin is exposed to sunlight.  

SPF is a multiplier of how long your sunscreen can keep you protected from UVB. For instance, SPF 15 will protect you 15 times longer from getting sunburned whereas an SPF 30 will give you 30 times longer protection.

When your skin burns within 10 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, with an SPF 15 sunscreen, you can stay 10 minutes x 15 times longer without burning.  That means you have 150 minutes tops of sun time without getting burned. After that, you must re-apply to keep the formula potent and give you protection to stay in the sun longer.

Higher SPF does not mean better protection from UV.  

Experts have agreed to cap SPF labels to 50+ and that’s because any additional SPF above 50 gives incremental, negligible increase from UV protection.  SPF 15 gives 93 per cent protection from UVB while SPF 30 blocks out up to 97 per cent of UVB. The old daily standard was SPF 15, some skin experts are now recommending a minimum of SPF 30. With the harsher sun and weather just getting started to becoming searing hot in the next couple of weeks, you need at least an SPF 30 to keep your skin from burning.

Your skin needs broad spectrum protection.

When you see that term in the labels, that means, the product contains a combination of sunscreen actives that make it capable of blocking off both UVA and UVB.  That is the better alternative to just getting an SPF protection. That means UVA rays are also prevented from penetrating your skin deeply, therefore shielding your skin from irreversible damages that cause your skin to age prematurely and, worse, develop skin diseases and cancer.

Antioxidants help keep your skin healthy under the sun too.  

Needs of sunscreen do not end with getting sunscreen actives to protect your skin from harmful UV. Take advantage of the added UV and free radical protection that antioxidants can help provide your skin too in preventing longer lasting sun damage and sunburn.

Always complement your sunscreen with other sun protection schemes.  

Anything that can help you physically block out the sun’s harmful UV — staying in the shade, getting a darker  car tint, being choosy on the time of day to catch your sun time, and wearing sun protective clothing — should all be part of your sun protection strategy this summer.

Just reading the SPF won’t keep your skin protected from damage.  

When you want to get down and get serious about your sunscreen, good for you. Not all are created equal. You should learn about the risks of chemical sunscreens too and their non-toxic physical sunscreen alternatives.

Skin Care Regimen - Every Working Woman Should Know

Conclusion.

Sun is not entirely bad for you but, just like in everything else, too much of a good thing can easily be bad for you.