The sun's rays are a powerful source of vitamin D and are essential for people's bone health and immune system. However, along with vitamin D, the sun's rays also contain radioactive rays that cause damage to the skin. It increases the effects of aging by penetrating the lower layer of the skin and can cause skin cancers in the maximum time.
Other benefits of sunscreen are as follows;
- Protects from Harmful Rays: Sunscreen does its job of protecting your skin from harmful rays from the sun.
- Protects from Cancer Diseases that may occur on your skin: Ultraviolet radiations constitute 95% of the UVA rays known to reach the Earth. UVB rays disrupt the structure of your skin and cause DNA mutation. For this reason, sunscreen is very important in terms of health in addition to its benefits to the skin.
- Prevents Fine Lines and Wrinkles on the Face: Based on the researches, we can say that people who use sunscreen consistently look much younger than people who do not use it for a long time.
- Prevents Stain Formations that may occur on the Skin: People who consistently use sunscreen prevent any blemish formations that may occur on the skin.
- Gains Moisture: Sunscreen provides a healthy skin appearance by allowing moisture to pass through the skin.
- Protects from Air Pollution: Sunscreen minimizes the damage caused by air pollution to the skin thanks to its ingredients.
- Gives the Skin a Bright Appearance: Thanks to the regular use of sunscreen, the sun-induced pale color appearance of the skin decreases and the radiance of the skin comes back.
- Prevents Skin Color Tone Inequalities: Sunscreen eliminates color tone inequalities caused by the unbalanced rise of melanin.
Should Sunscreen Be Used in All Seasons? Should We Use Sunscreen in Winter?
On winter days when the weather is overcast/cloudy, the harmful rays emitted by the sun continue. These harmful rays only decrease by 30% - 40% compared to open air in summer. We see the effects of the sun's harmful rays very often in summer. The reason for this is that the sun's rays are at their steepest during this season. Therefore, we should also use sunscreen in winter to protect the health of our skin. Most people use sunscreen in summer and throw it all aside in winter. But it is highly recommended to use sunscreen in winter as well.
What to Consider When Choosing Sunscreens for Children?
Babies and children need their own sun protection routines. The choice of sunscreen for babies should be made specifically to adapt to their sensitive skin, to be effective against harmful sun rays and to protect the cell reserve of their skin.
- The choice of sunscreen should be SPF 50 or SPF 50+ in order to prevent cell-based damage that may occur due to children's exposure to the sun.
- The sunscreen content should be adjusted especially for the skin structure of babies and children and should be dermatologically tested.
- Since children love to play in sand and water, sunscreen should be resistant to water and sand.
- Sunscreen should not contain parabens and alcohol.
How should sunscreen be used for babies and when should sunscreen be used for babies?
We know that babies / children who spend a long time in sunny weather in summer are more exposed to sun rays. The vitamin D we get from the sun is of course very useful. However, in recent years, due to the thinning and perforation of the ozone layer, we are now faced with the harmful effects of sunlight. As a result, prolonged exposure to sunlight can lead to sunburns, skin wrinkles and skin cancers. Therefore, with the arrival of summer, it is important to protect our babies and children from the harmful effects of the sun.
- Sunscreen types containing at least SPF 15 and SPF 50 protection should be preferred.
- It should be applied 30 minutes before going out in the sun.
- It should be reapplied every two hours.
- Sunscreen should be preferred according to age.
- Apply sunscreen intensively 30 minutes before your baby's skin is exposed to the sun.
- We need to apply more than the normal amount to areas such as the forehead, cheeks, nose and lips, which are frequently exposed to the sun.
- Reapply and refresh the sunscreen every two hours.
What should be considered when using and buying sunscreen?
The harmful rays emitted by the sun continue during the months when the sun is intense in summer and on winter days when the weather is overcast/cloudy. The sun's rays emit radioactive properties along with vitamin D. It is necessary to pay attention to these rays that cause damage to the skin.
- You should prefer sunscreen with a high protection factor.
- If your skin barrier is sensitive or you have moles on your skin, it is very important to increase the protection factor of the sunscreen.
- If you have acne on your skin or if you have acne-prone skin, you should prefer water-based sunscreen.
- In order for the sunscreen to be absorbed into the skin and provide full protection, it will be much more effective to apply it 30 minutes before going out in the sun, not just before.
- Be sure to use it on days when you do not go out in the sun.
- Always use sunscreen after undergoing aesthetic surgery. It is recommended not to go out in the sun after the aesthetic operation. If you go directly into the sun after the operation performed on your body, stain formations may occur on your skin.