Some Myths and Truths related with Sunscreen!

According to the recent prevention poll it is proved that only 31% of the women use sunscreen on daily basis. However each and every one of them knows that it should be used on every day of the year. Sunscreen helps in the protection of skin against age spots, wrinkles and other signs of ageing but then the question arises why is not everyone using it if it is so beneficial? In order to answer this curiosity of mine I asked dermatologists about it. They told us about the different excises women give for not wearing sunscreen when going outdoors. Have a look at them and you will realize that there is no need to skimp over sunscreen; it will just make you younger and healthier.

• Sun exposure is less dangerous than chemicals involved in any sunscreen – This is a complete myth as press has gotten really bad with sunscreens these days, it even claimed to have cancer causing substances in it. But just after that a review took place in the studies of sunscreen by Steven Wang, Director of Dermatologic Study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer center in New Jersey, and it said that safety measures were not well founded and the data does not relate to humans rather on some animal. If you are still worried then you can go for natural sunscreens like Kama Ayurveda which is made up of olive oil, aloe Vera, pure essential oils, lime and ginger. They are also free from any artificial fragrance, parabens, colors, petroleum based ingredients and mineral oils. There is a wide variety of natural sunscreens available in the market; you can get any one of them.

• I am not exposed to sun too much – well, one does not need to get soaked up with sunrays if they wish to use sunscreen. As per the studies 14 hours is the usual UV exposure time per week. And you would be surprised to know that it can cause damage to the fibers of the skin which could have provided you firm and smooth skin. It is advisable to use an SPF 15 to 50; no matter you are indoor or outdoor and even on cloudy days. You can get darker on cloudy days as well as clouds cannot block UV rays. You might not know but UV rays get reflected back by water, snow, concrete, sand and glass as well. So you can get tanned in the comfort zone of your home that is why you are required to wear sunscreen all the time.

• It is too complicated to reapply sunscreen– but somebody tell me how much difficult it could be to take out five minutes in two hours stretch,  you just need to apply a little bit of sunscreen in order to protect your skin especially when you are out of the house for a long time. Sunscreens are not even too heavy or big that you cannot carry in your handbag. One thing you need to take care of is that you should not apply too much make up at day time as it can cause difficulty when applying your sunscreen.

• Did not got sunburnt yet – this is the most stupid excuse one could ever give. You never had a car accident and that is why you do not wear seat belts, how stupid does that sound. A thing which has not happened with you till now does not mean that it cannot happen only. Showing lack of concern for your skin at a young age may not be a big issue but as soon as you start getting older and the skin produces less amount of melanin then you will realize the importance of sunscreen. As you get old your skin is likely to get burnt more easily. Loss of firmness and wrinkles are results of sun burn. Even if you are not getting sun burnt properly but still you can suffer from problems like patchy and pigmented skin. So it is quite essential for everyone to use sunscreen for a regular basis. Sunscreens are not available in gel forms for people who sweat a lot.

• It is too expensive – this is not true at all. One can easily afford it without breaking the locks of the bank.

• White film is left behind on my face after the application of sunscreen – the reason behind such chalky look is that the sunscreen you are using has high concentration of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. But not using sunscreen is not the solution rather finding something which works for you. Mostly people enjoy the benefit of sunscreens having SPF 15 or more. You will find hundreds of brands in the market, especially designed for oily and normal skins. You can consult a dermatologist if you do not know about your skin type and then get a sunscreen accordingly.

• My day cream has SPF in it, so sunscreen is not needed – this is not valid as when you apply only day cream you are exposing your skin to harmful broad spectrum UV rays. A recent study revealed that day creams which claims to offer the protection from harmful ultraviolet rays do not contain the necessary ingredients in them. And even if they have, it is not present in sufficient amount which means no real protection is guaranteed. A study was conducted on the day creams and it was proved that most of them lacked in UVA filter like zinc oxide, examsule, octocrylene and avobenzone. Make use of a sunscreen which contains PA+++ formulation and helioplex as it will provide a superior sun protection. The micronized silica powder present in the sunscreen also works as an excellent oil absorbing agent who will make your skin, soft, shiny and non-greasy.

These were the few facts and myths related with sunscreen. Hope you realize the importance of it and start using it from today only.