Sunscreen has a double advantage as it serves as protection from sun burns and aging of the skin. There are several chemicals in sunscreen that help in collection of the sun rays and scattering the same. This eventually leads to alteration of the length of the rays hence preventing any serious damage to the skin. Moreover, sunscreen has certain acids and chemicals that are helpful in filtration of the light such that only a regulated amount of sun rays reaches the deep segments of one’s skin.
Sunscreen has an extra layer of protection. Zinc oxide which is a component of sunscreen has the ability to reflect the sun’s rays from the skin. The rays bounce off totally when they come in contact with sunscreen. Sunscreen helps to block the dangerous ultra violet rays that are known to damage the skin pigment. They are divided into three categories.
• UV-A which usually leads to a deep penetration and can lead to premature skin aging or cancer
• UV-B leads to burning and tanning of skin
• UV-C is absorbed totally by the atmosphere of the earth.
UV-A and UV-B are therefore the rays that people should take precautions against as they have the potential to be harmful. Normally people shield themselves from UV -B rays as they appear to be riskier however search has shown that the UV-A are equally dangerous.
Most sunscreen ointments have a sun protection factor which specifically strengthens its capacity against UV-B rays and also estimates the rays’ intensity. The more the SPF elements in the sunscreen the more protection one gets from UV-B rays. This factor doesn’t however protect against UV-A rays. However, there is no universal or standard measure regarding which SPF one should use. These days’ sunscreens are available in a broad spectrum which protects one from both rays and are proved to be very effective.
