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Why Sunscreen Is Mandatory For Everyone

Building a Sun-Protective Lifestyle

By Matt TressPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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You may be thinking sunscreen is only for people with skin that is sensitive to sunlight or those who live in a part of the world where skin cancer rates are high. But sunscreen use should be considered by everyone as it has many benefits - from preventing wrinkles and age spots to decreasing your risk of developing skin cancer.

This article will discuss why sunscreen is mandatory for everyone and how you can incorporate sunscreen into your daily routine so that you can enjoy all these benefits.

Why sunscreen is mandatory for everyone

Sunscreen protects your skin from the sun's damaging rays. The UVA and UVB rays can penetrate deep into layers of your skin, potentially causing cellular changes that lead to cancerous cells. But sunscreen has been shown to reduce this risk because it blocks these harmful rays before they reach the deeper levels of the skin where most cancers occur.

Sunscreen also helps protect against wrinkles and age spots by preventing exposure to environmental factors like smoke, smog, wind, or radiation - all of which have been linked with early signs of aging in people's faces. And, finally, sunscreen use may help prevent melanoma (skin cancer) by blocking UV light from penetrating through a person's body - something that doesn't just affect your skin but the rest of your body as well.

How to use sunscreen

Sunscreen is a lot like what you put on in the morning before going out with clothes, makeup, and hair did up - it's an essential part of getting ready! But when using sunscreen, people often forget or neglect certain areas that can result in missed spots that leave them unprotected from the sun's rays. Here are some tips for making sure you cover everything without missing any spots:

  1. First, make sure you use the right sunscreen.
  2. Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes prior to heading outdoors so that it has time to fully absorb into your skin; this will also help prevent irritation caused by sunscreen rubbing off prematurely onto clothing or other surfaces. Make sure not only to cover your face, neck, and hands but also the back of your ears, nee's, and eyelids - all areas that are commonly forgotten.
  3. Be sure to apply sunscreen on any skin with thin hairs like those found in a bikini line or underarms because they can't protect you from UV rays like other parts of your body.
  4. And lastly, make sure you keep sunscreen stored at least six inches away from clothing (especially darker colors) as sunscreen stains clothes easily!

How much SPF do you actually need?

SPF is the abbreviation for sunscreen's sun protection factor. The higher the SPF, the longer it will protect you from UV rays. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests people use sunscreen with at least 15-30 SPF to reduce risk over time and recommends reapplying sunscreen every two hours when outside in direct sunlight. And if going out during peak times (11am – 11pm), they recommend using 50+ sunscreen because there is more UVA radiation present due to daylight savings time in spring and summer months.

How sunscreen affects cancer risk

Studies on sunscreen use have found it can reduce skin cancer risk by as much as 50%. One study, in particular, conducted from 1993 to 2000, followed 290 people with a history of melanoma. The researchers examined the participants' sunscreen habits and discovered that those who used sunscreen were less likely to develop new melanomas than those who did not wear sunscreen.

The results showed sunscreen reduced the chances of developing another melanoma by 58% among men (even after researchers took into account other factors like sunburns). There was no significant difference between using or not using sunscreen for women, but when only considering tanning bed users, their usage significantly decreased the risk for developing a second primary skin cancer out of 180 cases studied.

Remember:

Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes prior to heading outdoors so it has time to fully absorb into your skin before going out! This article discussed why sunscreen is mandatory for everyone

skincare
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About the Creator

Matt Tress

Not so much... really.

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