Sunscreen is the unsung hero of any skincare routine, but it a necessity for anyone of any age. Apotheco offers a wide range of sunscreen lotion online to provide your skin with the protection that it needs and promoting your overall health.
Why Do You Need Sunscreen?
The sun naturally emits ultraviolet radiation. While that is good for getting a tan, long-term exposure to UV rays can contribute to severe skin damage. Painful sunburns are just a part of that. Sun exposure can contribute to premature skin aging, which can manifest in the form of wrinkles and fine lines. Over time, damage to your skin cells can potentially lead to skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Estimates suggest that about one in five Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in life.
Staying indoors can help to reduce exposure, but some UV rays will still enter through windows. Cloudy days can reduce some of the sun’s rays, but they will not completely block them. Furthermore, many skin treatment ingredients, including retinol and salicylic acid, make your skin more sensitive to UV rays.
This is where sunscreen or sunblock comes in. Sunscreen contains ingredients that actively block UV rays from hitting your skin, thus preventing potential damage from radiation.
Choosing the Right Sunscreen
The sun’s ultraviolet rays appear in two forms: UVA and UVB. UVB radiation is more often associated with sunburns, while UVA radiation penetrates deeper into the skin and causes premature aging. Both can contribute to skin cancer. To cover all your bases, find a sunblock online that features broad spectrum protection. This ensures that you are protected from both UVA and UVB rays.
The protective ability of sunscreen is represented by an SPF, or sun protection factor, but this can be misleading. This is not a strictly linear metric, and higher SPFs do not necessarily denote greater protection. For the average person, a sunscreen with SPF 30 to 50 is more than enough to block almost all UV rays.
It’s also a good idea to look at the ingredient list. Mineral sunscreens, which use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, are preferred, but some formulations can leave a white cast on your face. Chemical sunscreens are effective but can cause irritation to more sensitive skin.
Using Sunscreen
Once you buy sunscreen online, make sure you use it every day, even on cloudy days. Apply the sunscreen on any exposed skin about a half-hour before sun exposure. Most importantly, reapply the sunscreen every two to three hours.
Apotheco features a wide range of sunscreens carefully formulated to protect all skin types. Take a look at our selection or contact us if you have any questions.
