Importance of using sunscreen on face

Sunscreen is a humble product that maintains the health of your skin, this article looks at the importance of sunscreen on the face.

Sunscreen is one of the most important products in your skincare arsenal. Using sunscreen on your face is important because it protects you from the UV rays of the sun. The sun emits UVA and UVB rays, UVA rays cause premature ageing, UVB rays cause burning on the skin.

I love sunscreen, and I’m sure that my dermatologist loves that I love sunscreen as well. I’ve written a couple of articles on sunscreen. (the best sunscreens for oily skin that you can use in summer, can sunscreen replace a moisturiser, does sunscreen expire if not opened, is SPF 15 enough for the face, how to make sunscreen not look oily, how to protect skin in summer naturally) and the more I write the more I learn the importance of using sunscreen on the face.

Sunscreen should be used 24/7, 365 days year, on a day to day basis, come rain or shine. It isn’t only good to protect from sunburn and from premature ageing, it also has a range of other benefits. This article will be looking at those benefits.

It’s amazing how many people don’t apply sunscreen, I used to think it was unnecessary or a hassle. But dealing with the consequences of not wearing sunscreen when I’m older will be much more of a hassle. This is a great sunscreen that is well-loved and well used.

Importance of using sunscreen on face

It protects you from UV rays

The sun emits two types of rays onto the earth and onto your skin. UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays are the rays that cause us to age us faster. The UVB rays are the rays that give us sunburn. Broad-spectrum sunscreens will protect the skin from both these types of rays and keep your skin healthy.

Prevent premature ageing

There are so many anti-ageing products people use as they get older, instead of having to try multiple products to make their skin look younger people wish that they had taken care of their skin in their youth.

Many older people wish that they had applied sunscreen in their younger years to avoid having to deal with the premature ageing effects of the sun. Sunscreen plays a major role in preventing early ageing. It protects your skin from developing fine lines and wrinkles early.

Lowers cancer risk

This is the strongest argument as to why you should use sunscreen in my opinion. The UV rays of the sun are the number one cause of skin cancer. If you use a sunscreen daily your risk of getting skin cancer is greatly reduced. This is a benefit that will save you from a life treating disease.

Prevents hyperpigmentation:

If you don’t apply sunscreen your complexion can look blotchy and uneven with darker parts in some areas and lighter parts in others. The sun causes this uneven skin tone. Thankfully hyperpigmentation can be reversed (not with steam through).

No sunburns:

When you get a sunburn it’s not only painful but it also weakens the skin. If you get a sunburn your skin also becomes more susceptible to swelling, itching, hives and redness. To avoid all this you need to apply a good sunscreen

Prevents harmful tanning of the skin

Sunscreen will minimise tanning thus protecting you from the rays of the sun. If you want that healthy sun-kissed look that you get from a tan you should rather opt for tanning lotions and tanning creams. This is a much safer option than using the sun as your method of tanning.

If you feel that using sunscreen and a moisturiser at the same time feels too heavy on your skin then you can go ahead and just use sunscreen. The sunscreen, if it formulated in a specific way will moisturise the skin. It is necessary to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to get the best result.

Greater skin health:

Your skin needs proteins. The proteins in the skin include keratin, collagen and elastin. These proteins will make sure that your skin stays healthy, supple, fresh and smooth. The sunscreen will protect the proteins in the skin.

Another layer of protection

If you aren’t keen on using other sun protection methods such as wearing long clothes that cover your whole body or staying in the shade the whole day then you can use sunscreen to give you protection. Some fabrics will lose their sun protection abilities when damp so wearing sunscreen will give you that extra protection.

NB: You need to use sunscreen daily

For the sunscreen to give you the best sun protection possible you need to be using it on a daily basis and you need to be applying the right amount of sunscreen. The right amount of sunscreen to apply on your body would be enough to fill a shot glass if you are an adult-sized person.  You need to be applying 1/3 of a tablespoon of sunscreen on your face.

If this is too much for you then you can apply it in two portions. Half when you first apply it then the other half after 10-15 minutes. This allows the first sunscreen application to sink into the skin before you apply the second layer. The addition of the second layer will get you to how much sunscreen you should actually be using

Expired sunscreen:

Using too little sunscreen, a low SPF sunscreen or slightly expired sunscreen is better than using no sunscreen at all. The expired sunscreen can’t give you the sun protection you would get from a non-expired sunscreen but it’s better than nothing. Note that there is a chance you can get some skin irritation from using expired sunscreen

Other ways to protect from the sun

If you don’t have any sunscreen on hand then your best is to cover up and stay in shady areas. This will give you protection from the sun. If you would like to read up on more ways you can protect your skin from the sun this article will help you

Why is sunscreen important for acne?

If you have acne you probably also have hyperpigmentation from acne scarring. To get rid of this scarring with minimal hassle you need to treat the acne while it’s still fresh. If you let the hyperpigmentation go untreated for a long time the melanin production in that area will make the hyperpigmentation look darker and make the pigmentation more difficult to get rid of in future.

What are the side effects of sunscreen?

One of the reasons people prefer not to use sunscreen is that it makes their skin oily and greasy, this is a side effect of sunscreen. If you want to avoid this look then opt for an oil-free and non-greasy sunscreen. These types of sunscreens will mattify the skin and do won’t cause breakouts. This is a great option. you can also learn how to make your sunscreen look less oily here.

Which SPF is best for the face?

You probably use the best quality skincare products on your face and that should be the same for sunscreen. Considering that you’ll be wearing this product daily and applying it more than once a day you’ll need the best. The SPF that is best for the face is the Sun Bum original SPF 30 sunscreen lotion.

This sunscreen offers the recommended sun protection strength (SPF 30), its a broad-spectrum sunscreen meaning it can protect you from both the UVA and UVB rays of the sun. It protects you from premature ageing as well as burning. It is also moisturising and contains vitamin E. The sunscreen moisturises but it is non-comedogenic so it won’t clog your pores and cause more ache.

As a bonus, this sunscreen is free from octinoxate and oxybenzone. Octinoxate has been shown to be potentially harmful to animals as well as the environment. Oxybenzone has a negative effect on your hormones and it’s a chemical that has added to coral reef deaths.

Does sunscreen block Vitamin D?

Technically sunscreen can “block” vitamin D. The sunscreen blocks out UVB light from entering and damaging our skin, we need the suns rays to create vitamin D in our bodies.

That being said we generally don’t apply enough sunscreen to block all the UVB light that hits our skin. It is recommended that we use a shot glass worth of sunscreen on our bodies and 1/3 of a teaspoon of sunscreen on our faces. We don’t apply this much sunscreen and because of this we don’t block that much of the suns rays and our bodies can make vitamin D.

How long should you sit in the sun to get vitamin D?

To get the recommended amount of vitamin D you need to be exposed to the sun for about 10 minutes to 3 hours a day. There are many factors that affect this number, these include skin sensitivity and darkness of the skin. The darker your skin, the more time you need to spend in the sun, this is because darker skin contains natural sunscreen which blocks against UV rays. The amount of time darker skin needs to be out in the sun can vary from 30 minutes to 3 hours.

To produce enough vitamin D you would need to expose your skin to the sun and apply sunscreen afterwards. You can also get your vitamin D from vitamin D rich foods. These foods include beef liver, egg yolks, soy milk and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. Being out in the sun is the easiest way to get your vitamin D intake but eating these foods will be a good way to get it if you want to stay out of the sun.

How do I choose sunscreen SPF?

The baseline SPF that you should be using is SPF 30. The higher the SPF the higher the sun protection but the difference is only marginal. An SPF 15 sunscreen filters out 93% of the suns rays, SPF 30 filters out 97% percent of the suns rays, SPF 50 filters 98% and SPF 100 filets out 99% of the suns rays. There are no sunscreens that will keep you completely protected from the suns rays. When shopping for sunscreens you need to choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen, one that protects against both the UVA and the UVB rays of the sun.

How much SPF is good for face?

SPF 30 is good for the face. I don’t recommend you use a moisturiser with sunscreen in the product over an actual sunscreen. In general, when we apply sunscreen, we don’t usually apply enough product. To get the most out of the sunscreen you need to apply a 1/3 of a tablespoon of the product on the face. When sunscreen is mixed in with creams or lotions it gets diluted and in addition, we don’t apply enough. Read more about it here.

Does black skin need sunscreen?

Yes, black skin needs sunscreen. Sunscreen is necessary for all people regardless of the skin tone. It is true that black people have a natural SPF of 13 but this is nowhere close to the SPF we need on the skin ie: SPF 30.

Skin cancer may be less prevalent in the black community but the presence of skin cancer is still there. Skin cancer is diagnosed in the later more advanced stages of cancer for black people.

How long does sunscreen protect your skin?

Sunscreen only protects your skin for 2 hours. The effects of the sunscreen wears off after 2 hours, it can go from being SPF 50 to SPF 10 in a matter of hours. The sun actually degrades the sunscreen making it less effective, for this reason you need to reapply it every 2 hours. In addition, as the day goes on the sunscreen may wear off from any sweating or swimming you may be doing during the day.

How does sunscreen work?

There are two types of sunscreens, physical screens and chemical screens. They both work to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun, they protect differently. Physical screens use ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide to deflect the sun’s rays. They create a layer on top of your skin, when the sun rays hit your skin the rays bounce off.

Chemical sunscreens are sunscreens that contain carbon compounds such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate and avobenzone in the formulation. When the sun rays hit your skin a chemical reaction occurs, the rays are turned into heat and this heat is released.

What are the harmful ingredients in sunscreen?

Unfortunately, some of the ingredients that allow some sunscreens to work are actually causing more harm than good. Oxybenzone has been linked to coral reef deaths and can also affect your hormones in a negative way. Another dangerous ingredient in sunscreen is octinoxate, this ingredient is harmful to animals as well as the environment. Luckily there are sunscreens that don’t contain these ingredients, this is a good safe option.

Is sunblock better than sunscreen?

Sunblock’s are also called physical sunscreens and sunscreens are also called chemical sunscreens. Sunblock’s block the suns rays and screens absorb the rays. Sunblocks have one well known negative trait: the zinc oxide in the formula can leave a white cast on the skin. A positive trait in favour of sunblock is that unlike a chemical sunscreen it does not need to be applied every 2 hours.

If your skin is more on the sensitive then using sunblock will be the best decision. The ingredients in the formulas are generally less irritating on sensitive skin types

I hope you enjoyed this article on the importance of sunscreen on the face. I hope you are using it as you should. If you enjoyed this article please share it. 

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