How to choose sunscreen

Sunlight gives you a warm feeling and a healthy glow which is great for morale but can be dangerous for your skin. It's essential to protect yourself from UVA, UVB and infrared rays with sunscreen or sun block. The choice of sunscreen is vast, so here’s some information to help you make an informed choice and choose the right one for you.






The sun
Sunrays are composed of UV (ultra-violet) light which is not visible to the naked eye. UVB rays are stopped by filtered glass, UVA rays can penetrate glass, and infrared rays diffuse heat..
- UVB rays act on the epidermis which is the surface of the skin. They are essential for our Vitamin D intake which is necessary for growth, and also help you get a tan, but they cause sunburn, which can lead to cell mutation and more serious consequences, including skin cancer.
- UVA rays penetrate the dermis (the deep layer of the skin). They give you an instant but temporary tan, but they generate free radicals that provoke the transformation of cells and support fibres, which causes ageing.
- Infrared rays go down to the hypodermis, the deepest layer of the skin. They provide the pleasant sensation of heat but can cause skin to dry out.

Sunlight
The quality of the sun's rays varies according to latitude, season, cloud coverage, altitude, pollution and time of day. Sunshine is the conjunction of direct rays, rays diffused in the atmosphere and rays refected off the ground (snow reflects 80%, sand 20% and water 30%). Before choosing your cream, you need to consider the conditions you're going to be exposed to. These will differ according to your location and latitude. At high altitude and in the tropics, where UV rays are vertical, maximum protection will be required.

How do you protect yourself?
Several factors need to be taken into account. The first is your skin type (referred to as phototype). There are 4 phototypes and they depend on hair colour, skin colour and ability to tan. The lighter your skin, the more protection you should use.
Phototypes I and II - people who have a milky complexion and/or redheads, who burn without tanning, and fair skinned people (with Nordic colouring) who tan lightly.
Phototype III - people with medium skin and olive complexions who tan gradually and sometimes burn.
Phototype IV - people with dark skin that is more resistant, who tan without burning.

Which suncream?
Choose a cream that protects against UVB rays in the short term, and a cream that prevents premature ageing and reduces the risk of cancer by protecting against UVA rays in the long term.

Which protection?
Sunscreen has an SPF (sun protection factor) number which indicates the amount of exposure your skin can handle from UVB rays before it burns. Dermatologists recommend using an SPF of at least 15 for all skin types (and there has been a lot of debate as to the point of using suncreams with an SPF of less than 15). Here’s an idea of the level of protection you should use for your skin type.