How to choose the right sunscreen SPF for you
Words Floriane Reynaud
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It's the holidays, and you know what that means: time to take in the sun while also making sure you protect yourself from its UV rays. No matter how aware you might be of the dangers of exposing unprotected skin, many of you still don't use sunscreen during your holidays. Here’s a refresher to understand why sun protection is essential and how to choose the right SPF for your sunscreen!
Why are the sun's rays bad for your health?
Apart from a few people with extremely high melanin levels, we’ve all been through the painful experience of a red and swollen sunburn at some point in our lives. Sunburn is the result of prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays that causes a more or less intense burn. UVB rays are responsible for sunburn, but also for the majority of skin cancers. Just as aggressive, UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and cause skin ageing, pigmentation spots, wrinkles and certain cancers. As for infrared rays, they are responsible for the loss of collagen and quickly heat up the skin. In short, while exposure to the sun to fill up on vitamin D is a good thing, it doesn’t mean that the sun is good for our health.
How does sunscreen work?
This is where science comes in. Sunscreen consists of two active screens: the first, is a chemical one, it absorbs ultraviolet rays and transforms them into heat. The second consists of minerals which reflect these rays. The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is your sunscreen’s protection index. It ranges from 6 to 50+. The higher the SPF, the longer you’ll be able to stay safely exposed to the sun’s rays.
Many of us still believe that a few minutes of exposure without sunscreen cannot be harmful to our health. Keep in mind that your skin is an organ that is extremely sensitive to the elements around it and that the fairer or more dehydrated it is, the more prone it will be to sunburn. The main lesson here is to apply sunscreen whenever you leave your house to make sure you are well protected.
What's the ideal SPF for my skin?
If you’re only going to follow one rule when it comes to sunscreen SPF, make sure it’s this one: always use SPF 50 (sunblock) for your first few days in the sun. Even the darkest skins are subject to sun-induced skin ageing and skin cancer. The lighter your skin, the higher the SPF should be for the duration of your holiday. Once you’ve become accustomed to the sun, you can stick to the following recommendations:
If you have very fair skin that does not tan and systematically burns, we recommend sticking to SPF 50 sunscreen. With fair skin that tans gradually with the occasional sunburn, an index of 30 to 50 is necessary. For fair to matt complexions that tan well, an index of 30 is sufficient to protect you from the sun. Finally, an SPF index of 15 to 30 is perfectly adequate for dark and black skins!
How can I use my sunscreen effectively?
All right, now you’ve got the right sunscreen for your skin. To make the best use of it, follow these steps. To start, if you're planning a beach day, apply the sunscreen to your body 30 minutes before going outside. This will allow the skin to properly absorb the formula but also to avoid disseminating your sunscreen in the ocean or pool. Reapply on dry skin after every swim and more often if your skin is very fair.
In theory, sunscreen is also recommended even out of season in order to prevent premature skin ageing. Last but not least, to ensure your sunscreen can be reused from one year to the next without losing its protective capacity, remember to store it in a dry place at room temperature.
