Think About It Thursday: Why Should We Wear Sunscreen?

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

With summer quickly approaching it is important that we discuss the importance of sunscreen and why we should all wear it on a daily basis. So in today’s Think About It Thursday post we are going to discuss the importance of wearing sunscreen and why it is vital to our health to do so!

Wrinkle-causing UVA rays and burn-inducing UVB’s from the sun can be harmful and pose a serious risk to your health and looks. So it is important to take specific safety measures when spending a large amount of time in the sun.

You’ve probably walked into your local store and noticed a whole AISLE of sunscreens for sale….but which one do you pick?! And what the heck does SPF really even mean anyways?

SPF or Sun Protection Factor  is a measure of the sunscreen’s ability to prevent UVB rays from damaging the skin.  If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer, which calculates to about five hours of protection. HOWEVER, sunscreens should really only be expected to stay effective for no longer than two hours without reapplication.

Using sunscreen products decreases the chances for sunburn and can prevent skin cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2009, “more than 1 million people were expected to be diagnosed with skin cancer and research studies link skin cancer with sun exposure on unprotected skin”.

Check out this video about how sunscreens protect us from the suns harmful rays!

Resources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/73395-need-sunscreen/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/sunscreen-benefits_n_3464687.html

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-we-have-to-wear-sunscreen-kevin-p-boyd

http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/sunscreens-explained