Sunshine brings us out to play! It’s a natural mood booster and provides essential vitamin D. While a healthy tan can be a perk, it’s crucial to remember the importance of sun protection and that it is key to keeping our skin healthy and glowing all summer long. While tans may be trendy, unprotected sun exposure increases your risk of developing skin cancer. But did you know there are different types of sun rays impacting your skin? Here’s where sun protection comes in!

There are two main types of ultraviolet (UV) rays that reach our skin:

UVA Rays:

• UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, tanning the skin and causing premature aging and wrinkles.
• Even though they may not directly cause sunburn-like UVB rays, UVA radiation is still linked to an increased risk of skin cancer.
• UVA rays damage skin cells, prompting the body to produce melanin as a defense mechanism. Melanin is the component that gives skin a tan color and dark spots.
• UVA rays are the ultraviolet rays accounting up to almost 95% of radiation reaching the earth’s surface.

UVB Rays:

• UVB Rays remain on the surface of the skin so it doesn’t go as deep as UVA but they are the main reason of skin burns and skin cancer.
• These rays give sunburns and can result in peeling skin. It is most dangerous when it reflects off of snow or ice. This is why skiers and snowboarders often experience sunburn on their faces, even on cloudy days.
• It is important to note that UVB is blocked by windows, unlike UVA.

So how do we protect our skin from these UV rays and keep our skin healthy?

UVA Protection

• Broad Spectrum is Key:  Look for sunscreens labeled “broad spectrum.”  This is the most important factor, as it ensures the sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
• UVA Testing Matters: While “broad spectrum” is a good first step, some sunscreens offer better UVA protection than others. Look for sunscreens that have been independently tested for UVA protection.
• Powerful Ingredients:  Certain ingredients are particularly effective against UVA rays. These include avobenzone, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide.  Sunscreens containing these ingredients often provide superior UVA protection.  When choosing a sunscreen, check the ingredients list to see if these are included.

UVB Protection

• SPF Protection: “sun protection factor” is a rating system that indicates a sunscreen’s effectiveness in protecting against UVB rays, the primary cause of sunburns. To understand more about how SPF works here is an example: The number written next to SPF on sun cream bottles indicates how long it will take for the UV rays to affect your skin by reddening it so if your skin usually takes 10 minutes to redden using SPF 30 means it will protect you for an extra 300 minutes approximately (10×30=300) than the usually time your skin reddens.
• Water absorption: when buying a sun cream take into consideration if water renders its effect and by how much.

Sunscreen Every Day: Why It Matters

Sunscreen is not only for beach visits and mountain skiing. It should be used daily to protect your skin from hidden long-term risks. The Importance of sun Protection and using Sunscreen is also important during cloudy days because some UV rays can penetrate clouds and reach your skin.

What is the importance of sun protection by using sun screen daily?

• Sunburns: let’s go back to UV ray penetrations, some UV rays penetrate deep inside the skin and the effects are long-lasting even after the redness fades. Sunscreens reduce sunburn risk and protect the undamaged cells from getting attacked by UV rays.
• Premature Aging: yes you read that right! Sunscreen protects skin from premature aging because it blocks UV rays from penetrating the skin. When UV rays penetrate the skin they attack and damage the collagen and elastin by breaking them down. This leads to wrinkles and the appearance of fine lines due to the lack of material (collagen and elastin) that keeps the skin plumbed.
• Hyperpigmentation: What is hyperpigmentation exactly? It is when areas of the skin become darker than others. Resulting in colored spots across the skin, these colors can be black spots, brown spots, red, or pink. This effect happens upon the disruption of melanin production caused by sun rays.
• Protects from skin cancer: Broad-spectrum sunscreens act like tiny shields for your skin. They work by forming a barrier that absorbs or reflects UVA and UVB rays before they can penetrate deep and damage your skin cells. This significantly reduces the risk of cellular harm that can lead to skin cancer.

There is much more than one reason why using sunscreen every day is beneficial and healthy for you. To know which sun-screen benefits you most you can consult our professionals. Keep in mind using sunscreen is not only for the summer season. What are you still waiting for? Elevate your sun care routine with superior UVA and UVB protection with Farm Stay’s Collagen Water Full Moist Sun Cream.