Are You Using The Right Sunscreen?
June 13, 2009
The harsh rays of the sun is not only responsible for tanning our skins, but excess exposure to the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun can cause several skin ailments, including skin cancer.
Tips to protect your skin from sunlight, we apply sunscreen lotions or creams on the face and other exposed parts of our body. Even while relying on the sunscreen to protect our skin from damage, a question often pops up in our minds – how to choose the right sunscreen to use?
Chemical vs. Physical Sunscreen
There are two types of sunscreens – chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens. The sun block lotions and creams, which we use, are examples of chemical sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens contain aminobenzoic acid, benzenes and cinnamates, which are absorbed by our skin when we apply a chemical sunscreen. These organic chemicals deactivate the sunlight when it touches our skin.
Physical sunscreens, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are not absorbed by the skin. Instead, they form a protective layer on top of the surface of the skin. When sunlight falls on this protective layer, it either is absorbed by the inorganic compounds or is reflected back.
Both chemical and physical sunscreens protect our skin from ultraviolet A and B rays of the sun. However, since physical sunscreens are not absorbed by the skin, they do not cause any allergic reactions. Both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide is non-allergic and non-irritant. They are also non-comedogenic, and therefore can be used by people suffering from acne. They neither cause nor aggravate acne.
However, the greatest disadvantage of using physical sunscreen is that they sit on the face like a chalky mask. Application of mineral powders would solve this problem. Mineral powders containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide could be frequently applied when you are spending your time outdoors.
Chemical sunscreen containing avobenzone, stay on your face for a long time, providing sun protection for a long time. These sunscreens do not require frequent reapplication to produce sustained sun protection.
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