Written By Guest User

Looking After Your Skin in the Spring Sun        

Words Mary Oladele

Unsplash @vicko-mozara 
Unsplash @vicko-mozara

Winter is officially over and the sun is out, with the sunny days here, looking after your skin should be a top priority for everyone. Most people think that sunscreen is only for those that get sunburnt easily however, everyone should be using sunscreen no matter your skin complexion or how long you will be in the sun for.

Shutterstock 
Shutterstock

A few home truths about the importance of using sunscreen:

  • It prevents skin discolouration: The regular use of sunscreen helps ensure an even skin tone especially in people who suffer with skin discolouration in their face and neck.

  • It acts as protection from UV rays: Sunburns are caused by overexposure to UV rays which is basically sun, using sunscreen creates a layer of protection to minimise the penetration of these UV rays to prevent sunburn and damage to your skin such as skin ageing.

  • It prevents skin Cancer: The lack of sunscreen increases one’s chances of developing aggressive skin cancer such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma due to the continuous damage to the skin layers from UV rays.

Shutterstock 
Shutterstock

Now we understand the importance of using sunscreen, a common topic around the use of sunscreen is, do people with a darker skin tone need to use sunscreen despite the melanin in their skin tone? Although melanin protects people with darker skin tones from cancer by acting as a protective pigment, UV rays darken the melanin in the skin and allows the regeneration of new melanin to be released. It is not enough to protect completely against skin cancer therefore, we are all advised to use sunscreen to achieve the best skin protection and look after our skin.

Shutterstock 
Shutterstock

You are probably thinking what the best sunscreen to get and what is the difference between SPF15, SPF30 and SPF50. SPF stands for sun protection factor. The numerical figures are the protection measures against UVB rays without being sunburned.

  • SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays

  • SPF 30 blocks nearly 97% of UVB rays

  • SPF 50 blocks approximately 98% of UVB rays

Shutterstock 
Shutterstock

Sunscreen such as SPF15 allows you to be in the sun 15 times longer than without protection. There is no sunscreen that can block all the UV rays however, I would recommend using SPF 30 and SPF 50 as they offer the maximum protection. Please remember to re-apply the sunscreen after 2 hours as the protection reduces with time. So whether you’re shopping for SPF products from high end brands or local supermarkets, ensure your sunscreen is applied regularly and contain some form of SPF.

Mary Oladele - Oncology Doctor

Guest User
Previous
Next