Summerventures 101: What You Need to Know about Sunscreen

Sunscreen is arguably the number one skincare product associated with summer. As the sun shines brighter, temperature goes higher, and the days become longer, it's best to be prepared and protect your skin the best way you can.

Not many people, however, know what is written on the sunscreen label. To make the most of your time under the sun, here are a few things to know about your favorite sunscreen lotion.

The UVB Rays

Most people think that the Sun Protection Factor is everything there is to check in a sunblock-- and it does count a lot. The SPF measures the product's ability to block UVB rays, which are related to sunburn and skin cancer.

SPF, however, only measures UVB rays. It does not have much effectiveness when it comes to UVA rays.

The UVA Rays

UVA is often the most misunderstood part of sunscreen formulations. This is present every day, and can penetrate through glass windows. Much like UVB, it is also linked to higher risk of skin cancer. Unlike UVB, however, UVA does not get filtered by the ozone.

UVA doesn't cause sunburn, but it can lead to skin darkening and aging, as the rays penetrate deeper into hte skin, affecting the collagen.

Dermplus sunscreens, for example, protect against both UVA and UVB rays, giving you complete sun protection in one go.

The SPF

The SPF number measures how well a sunscreen protects against UVB rays. If your skin would normally burn after staying 10 minutes under the sun, using an SPF 15 sunscreen would allow you stay out under the sun for about 150 minutes (a factor of 15 times longer) without burning your skin.

However, it does not mean that an SPF 15 sunscreen is half as effective as an SPF 30. The difference in the SPF numbers also takes into account UVB filtering capabilities.

SPF 15 can filter about 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 about 97%, SPF 50 about 98%, and so on. The type you choose depends on your skin tone, how sensitive your skin is to the heat, and how easily you get color on your skin.

Dermplus Sunscreen comes in different varieties to suit your needs. Whether you want an everyday sunscreen for indoor use, or one that will protect you when doing extreme outdoor activities, there's a product that's right for you.

The Right Amount

For the sunscreen to work as advertised, you have to apply a liberal amount on all exposed areas of the skin, and re-apply it every after two hours or when you feel it has worn off.

This summer, enjoy the best sunventures ensuring you get the most out of your sunscreen lotion.