In today’s climate, protecting our skin is a very important responsibility we bare, perhaps the most important of all. Considering the rising temperatures, global warming, and other elevations in different types of pollutions, it is very easy for our skin to get damaged.

If a person neglects to treat the damage right away, then this damage can easily turn permanent and often irreversible. The part where it gets a little more challenging is when the skin types and colors start to differ. People who are fair-skinned are more susceptible to damage from the sun and heat than people with a little darker skin.

This is because when the UV rays and heat makes contact with the skin, it starts producing a chemical known as melanin, which causes the darkening of skin. As such for people with darker skins, their melanin levels are already higher so the damage will take some time to affect them. However fair-skinned people will immediately get affected.

In addition to that, children are much more vulnerable to experience skin damage in the summers than adults. This is because they have much softer and sensitive skin than adults. That is why it is very important for you to do substantial research and really be aware of the different types of products being sold out in the market.

Such precautions are mandatory as there are a lot of fake products that would do your skin more harm than good, and when it comes to kids, there isn’t much room for taking risks. There are a lot of aspects that one must be aware of before choosing a sunscreen lotion.

These aspects are the type of ingredients the sunscreen lotion is made of. These include the UV Index, the SPF factor, its moisture content and a few other things. If these are satisfactory and suitable to your skin type and that of the concerned child’s, then it is wise to purchase and apply it.

The UV Index

The Ultraviolet rays that the sun releases are the most harmful for the body. This is because they penetrate straight through the Earth’s atmosphere as well as our bodies. As such prolonged exposure to these rays can cause adverse damage. In addition to that these rays are the source of skin cancer and other skin related ailments. There are three types of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Amongst the dangers of UV rays are these ailments:

• Non-melanoma skin cancer

• Malignant Melanoma

• Cataract

• Impaired Immunity

All these can be very fatal, and in the case of kids the chances of these ailments being life threatening is quite high. UVA penetrates through everything and can cause skin aging to speed up drastically. Although UVA is the greater percentage of the sun’s natural light, absorbing too much of it can be very harmful. It is also known to cause long term skin problems. It’s deep penetration into the skin can be very harmful as it can alter the structure of our cells, irreversibly.

UVB on the other hand is one thousand times stronger than UVA. One can only begin to imagine the adverse effects of this ray. Although this is the ray that is needed for vitamin D, it is also the one that causes the most amount of damage. UVB is the main cause for sunburns and very dark sun tans. Skin cancer is also caused due to these rays as there is nothing that would stop them, except for good clothing and high quality sunscreen lotions. UVC does not reach the Earth’s surface as it is all deflected by our atmosphere.

Now that you have acquired knowledge regarding the UV rays, it is important for you to choose a sunscreen lotion that has a high percentage for blocking UVA and UVB. The percentage needs to be at least 50%, because any below it will do you no good. With 50% you have a fairly good chance of being safe in the sun for some time. You have to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to stay safe.

The SPF Content

This determines how much protection you are getting from the sun and in this case it is recommended that you use a sunscreen that has the SPF content of 30 or above. This way it helps block about 96% of UVB and UVA rays; however using one that only has SPF 15, you will block about 92% of the rays. Also, something that a lot of people do not know is that while applying the sunscreen in real life situations, the SPF content is much lower as we do not put huge amounts of sunscreen on.

One ounce of sunscreen is said to provide sufficient protection against the sun for the entire body for an average adult. So depending on where you categorize yourself, the amount of sunscreen you should use can be approximated around the above mentioned value.

Always remember that you should choose sunscreen lotions that provide good protection against both UVA and UVB simultaneously because it is absolutely ridiculous to have to apply two different types of sunscreen lotions.

Conclusion

It is a big misconception to believe that one will only get affected in the sun light because UV rays can affect you in shade as well. It is not only the sun light that is and can be damaging, it is also the rays that come from the sun. These rays do not necessarily get blocked by anything unless you are wearing a good quality sunscreen lotion. Wearing hats is a very good idea as they help protect your face, hair,head, and neck from exposure to the sun.

In addition to that they can also help block the UV rays, depending on the quality of the hat. If you suffer from dry skin or itchy skin, then you should try to look for a sunscreen with a good moisture content so your skin stays healthy, free from UV rays damage and moist, all the time.