Throughout the summer months we are constantly told to apply sunscreen, but what are the benefits of doing so?

How Does The Sun Affect The Skin?

When your skin is exposed to the sun's UVA and UVB, a lot of things happen, including:

1) Melanin production - this makes your skin darker 

2) Increased Vitamin D levels

However, there’s more to it than this! High exposure to UVA and UVB increases your risk of skin cancer, it also accelerates the ageing of your skin. 
This process happens every time you are exposed to sunlight, regardless of whether you get sunburn or not.

What Is Melanin?

Melanin is created by your body to help absorb UV radiation (the part that damages the skin).  UVA darkens your existing melanin while UVB triggers the production of more. 

The melanin the body creates to protect the skin naturally, only provides an equivalent of SPF 3 protection, so it is important to wear sunscreen for the extra protection your skin requires.

Did you know that UVA can be blocked by clothing, and UVB can be blocked by sun cream?

Sun Safety

You should wear sunscreen, suitable clothing, UV blocking sunglasses, and a hat while you’re out in the sun. You should also try to spend time in the shade during the sun’s peak (between 11 am to 3 pm).

When choosing sunscreen, you should look for one with a factor (SPF) of at least 30 and a UVA protection of 4 stars. If your label has the letters ‘UVA’ in a circle, then it meets the EU standard.  

How Often Should I Apply Sunscreen?

When applying your sunscreen, you should put a layer on 30 minutes before you go out, another layer just before you go out, and every 2 hours afterwards. 

Apply your sunscreen liberally across all exposed skin including your face, hands, neck, and ears. 

You should reapply your sunscreen if you’ve been in the water or have sweated excessively. 

Are Children Vulnerable To The Sun?

Children are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of the sun. Their skin is up to 30% thinner than the skin of an adult.

As with adults, children are advised to wear suitable clothing, UV-blocking sunglasses, a hat, and liberal amounts of SPF 30+ sunscreen.

Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight entirely.

Sunscreen should be part of your daily routine through the summer, whether you’re simply driving to work or gearing up for a day at the beach, sunscreen will protect your skin from damage.

Shop our range of sun care products online today. We have a large variety of sun creams, and after-sun lotions available, so whether you are forward planning your next vacation or just want to stay protected all year round, you can count on ipharm.co.uk to have everything you need for a safe summer.