Fun In the Sun ☀

I am sure anyone who visits the beach or any body of water remembers being a child and having their parent reapply that thick white baby sunscreen with the highest SPF (not even knowing what that means) they could find probably 100 times if we were outside in the sun or out by the water.  I know I always thought I would be fine without it and then the next day I would look like a red lobster and regret my childish decision not to apply the immensely disliked sunscreen.  Though we may not like putting that thick, white, greasy cream on our faces and body, it is actually incredibly beneficial.  And here is why...


What is Sunscreen?
Sunscreen helps us by preventing ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB rays) from penetrating our skin and causing cell damage which ultimately can lead to cancer.  According to the CDC (Sun Safety), most skin cancer cases are caused by (UV) sun exposure.  Not only can sun exposure cause cancer, but it can also cause premature skin aging (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research).  Even though we cannot physically see the blocking of these rays and we do not have any type of experience except a sunburn without it, it can be hard to grasp the importance of sunscreen because it really can cause long-term effects with repetitive exposures.  There are different types of sunscreens and they work in different ways.

What is In This Magical Sunscreen?
First off, sunscreen can be divided into two types.  There are organic and inorganic sunscreens.  Organic sunscreen absorbs UV radiation and spreads it out into the heat.  Inorganic sunscreen, on the other hand, reflect and scatter the UV rays from the sunlight. The SPF number identifies the amount of UVB protection that the sunscreen will provide and a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher is recommended (Sun Safety).
You can get sunscreen in many forms; lotion, butter, oils, sticks, gels, and sprays (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research).  
According to the FDA (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research), this is a list of approved sunscreen ingredients:

Aminobenzoic acid
Avobenzone
Cinoxate
Dioxybenzone
Homosalate
Meradimate
Octocrylene
Octinoxate

Octisalate
Oxybenzone
Padimate O
Ensulizole
Sulisobenzone
Titanium dioxide
Trolamine salicylate
Zinc oxide














Money, Money, Money, Moneyyy!
Sunscreen corporations know that the people buying sunscreen buy it to protect themselves from the harmful UV rays and will spend money to protect themselves and their health.  Now that we have discussed what SPF is, we can agree that someone would want to buy a sunscreen with a high SPF of maybe 100 or anything above 50 so that they get the maximum protection.  While this is understandable, what people do not know is that with just an SPF of 15 you have 93% UVB protection already, and with SPF 30 you have 97% UVB protection.  These sunscreens are enough to protect from the UVB rays, but you must use other products to protect against UVA rays or opt for a broad-spectrum sunscreen (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research).  

If You are Going Outside, Wear ~Sunscreen~!
Sunscreen is available in many cosmetic products now such as foundation and moisturizers.  It is important to use it every day on the skin that is exposed to sunlight to prevent sun damage (Sun Safety).  The areas that are commonly forgotten include ears, lips, nose, back of the neck, tops of the feet, and any part of the scalp (like the hair part) that will be exposed to the sun (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research).  If you do not use sunscreen, then be sure to cover up the exposed skin and/or stay in the shade and wear sunglasses and hats to protect yourself from the UV rays as much as possible (Sun Safety).  It is recommended that you reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and after swimming or sweating because sunscreen is not waterproof and will wash right off (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research).  




Citations

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (n.d.). Sunscreen: How to help protect your skin from the sun. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun

Forestier, S. (2008, April 12). Rationale for sunscreen development. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962207024152?casa_token=1awfeWKHoWEAAAAA%3A0hSsni_GEP4M8n7ocYhtJ7qr9_f6oZy_hYbiU6DAr2YQ30VFx2e-2MxUvwEld9QIrhAL5dl_r6E

Sun Safety. (2021, April 28). Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

Tuchinda, C., Lim, H., Osterwalder, U., & Rougier, A. (2005, November 25). Novel emerging sunscreen technologies. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0733863505001099


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