How Does Sunscreen Protect Your Skin?
July is a month filled with fun and SUN! And, we're reminded to protect our skin with sunscreen. But, have you ever wondered, how can a skin cream, (or gel, or spray) can protect you from the sun's powerful rays? Here's some information from
www.livescience.com.
Sunscreens work either by reflecting the sun's rays away from your skin or by absorbing those rays.
Added minerals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide work to reflect UV rays away.
Other sunscreens rely on organic particles such as avobenzone or oxybenzone, that actually absorb UV rays.
As they absorb the sun's rays, they break down, releasing heat but, your skin is protected. (At least for a while. more on that soon)
What exactly does SPF mean? SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF rates the level of protection a product provides against UVB rays, which can burn your skin, and potentially cause skin cancer. SPF guages the amount of time sunscreen will keep you from burning. For example, if your skin starts to turn red in 30 minutes, a 30 SPF sunscreen will delay burning by 450 minutes (7 1/2 hours).
What is "Broad Spectrum?" Broad Spectrum means that this product protects from both UVA (which are most responsible for wrinkles) AND UVB rays.
How much do you need? According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, most people don't use enough product often enough. They advise applying about an ounce of product every two hours that you're out in the sun. Check out the SPF products we have at the Spa of the West Store for
10% OFF in July, and enjoy the summer sun safely!
|
