Did you know that not every sunscreen protects you from all the UV rays that can hurt your skin? Believe it or not, around 10% of sunscreens will only protect you from UVB rays – the type that can burn you directly from the sun on a sunny day. That’s why you should always be looking for broad spectrum sunscreen products for your sun safety needs.
If you have any haziness on this subject, you should stick around, as we’re going to be looking at just some of the many things you need to know about when it comes to UV rays. By the end, you’ll know exactly why broad spectrum products are the only option.
Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Protection is Complete Protection
Emanating from that fiery ball in the sky are three types of UV rays: UVA, UVB and UVC rays. The good news is that UVC rays are taken care of by the earth’s ozone layer, which leaves us with just the other two to contend with. Broad spectrum sunscreen is needed because both can damage the skin in different ways.
UVA Rays
UVA rays account for about 95% of the UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, and they can penetrate deeply into the skin’s dermis. Unlike UVB, UVA rays can cause damage even on cloudy days or through windows. They are primarily responsible for what’s known as ‘photoaging’, which includes those dreaded wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging of the skin.
UVA rays also generate free radicals that break down collagen and elastin fibers, again leading to premature aging. Over time, UVA exposure can also lead to DNA damage within your skin cells, increasing the risk of skin cancer like melanoma – even though you may not even have gotten immediate sunburn.
UVB Rays
UVB rays are shorter in wavelength and mainly affect the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). They are the main cause of sunburn and play a big role in the development of skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
UVB rays can again damage the DNA directly within skin cells, leading to mutations. Sure, they’re less penetrating than UVA rays, but UVB exposure is more intense during peak sun hours (10 AM to 4 PM) meaning that its effects are felt that much sooner.
Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Is Non-Negotiable for Skin Health
When you wear sunscreen that offers broad spectrum protection, you get something that prevents sunburn and skin damage, both immediate and long-term. UVB rays are notorious for causing sunburn, but UVA rays are also harmful, leading to deeper skin damage, collagen breakdown, and other signs of premature aging.
Skin cancer is another potential outcome of not having broad spectrum coverage, and the only thing that you have to do to greatly reduce the risk is to choose the right sunscreen. Simple, right? If the sun can damage your skin pretty much every day of the year, you need a product that gives you complete protection – something that only a broad spectrum product can give you.
So, the next time you go looking for sunscreen for yourself and your family, don’t accept anything less, as it’s the only way to be sure that you can enjoy the sun without it coming at the expense of your skin.
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