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Sunscreen Facts

Sunscreen Facts
Sunscreen is a type of product that is made to absorb or reflect the harmful rays of the sun that can lead to sunburn and skin cancers. Sunscreen can come as a lotion, gel, spray or other product. The use of sunscreen is recommended by many cancer organizations to help protect the skin from harmful rays, and it is also recommended as a method to help fight the signs of aging, which can include wrinkles and saggy skin. Lighter skinned people are more prone to damage from the sun, but those with darker skin should also wear sunscreen to help avoid the effects of the sun.
Interesting Sunscreen Facts:
th an SPF rating. SPF stands for sun protection factor to UV rays. If a product has a rating of 30, it means that 1/30th of the sun's burning radiation will be able to reach the skin. This includes applying sunscreen to 2mm thickness on the skin.
SPF does not account for the skin damage and aging effects of UVA radiation, which is not blocked by sunscreen.
UVA is believed to cause DNA damage and increase the risk of malignant melanomas.
Sunscreen can help to protect against UV rays that contribute to the development of squamous cell carcinomas, and melanoma.
Sunscreen has not shown to be beneficial in preventing basal cell carcinoma.
It's estimated that one in every five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and for this reason everyone should use sunscreen regularly.
Sunscreen isn't the only protection from harmful rays. People should seek shade between 10am and 2pm when the rays are at their most dangerous.
In addition to sunscreen use, people should wear protective clothing, be extra careful around sand, water, and snow (as sun reflects off the surfaces), avoid tanning beds which can cause skin cancer, and regularly check for changes to the skin.
Sunscreen should be used even on cloudy days as 80 percent of the rays can still reach your skin.
Sunscreen should be applied to any exposed skin. It should be applied 15 minutes before exposure to the sun and allowed to properly dry.
People should also use lip balm with sunscreen to help protect the lips from the risk of skin cancer.
After swimming a person needs to reapply their sunscreen as most of it will be gone. It's important to reapply after sports as well as sweat can reduce coverage drastically as well.
To make it easier to apply sunscreen around the eyes there are products that come in stick form.
Those with sensitive skin can find special products. There are also special sunscreens for baby's skin.


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