Summer Skin Tip: How to Choose the Right Sunscreen
It goes without saying that sunscreen is one of the most important essentials that one must have this summer. In addition to protecting our skin from the sun’s harmful rays and accompanying diseases, it also helps us achieve that healthy tan. It’s one of the easiest and most affordable ways to protect your skin this summer. However, with the wide range of sunscreen options on the market today, choosing one can be quite overwhelming for some. So, to keep things simple, let me share with you some tips on choosing the right sunscreen for your skin.
1. Make sure the sunscreen you’re buying has these ingredients: zinc oxide, oxybenzone, titanium dioxide, avobenzone, and sulisobenzone. These ingredients offer full spectrum protection, meaning it blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Always choose a sunscreen that is effective against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) light. Most sunscreens only offer UVB protection, so be careful and read the label carefully. Your sunscreen should block both UVA and UVB rays.
2. If you plan to spend more than 4 hours in the sun, choose a sunscreen that offers a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Keep in mind that the SPF number only indicates how effective the sunscreen is against UVB light.
3. Choose your sunscreen based on your activities and lifestyle. For example, if you plan on doing a lot of water sports and sweaty activities this summer, you should choose a water-resistant sunscreen. Most sunscreens, if not all, lose their effectiveness to some degree when the skin is submerged in water. Water-resistant sunscreens have ingredients that help the product adhere to the skin. But keep in mind that even if you use a waterproof sunscreen, you should reapply it every hour or so to make sure it stays protected.
4. Like any beauty product, if you have oily or acne-prone skin, choose a sunscreen that has an oil-free base so it doesn’t clog your pores. There are plenty of sunscreens out there to suit different skin types, so choose accordingly.
5. If you’re the kind of person who’s allergic to all sorts of things, it’s best to choose a PABA-free sunscreen. Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is known to cause allergic reactions in some people. So those with allergies should use PABA-free sunscreens to prevent attacks.