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Sun protection
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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Despite the fact that the beaches are still filled with vacationers who are hungry for sunburn, people increasingly take with them to the beach jars and tubes with sunscreens and lotions. Gradually, the culture of attitudes toward sunlight penetrates deeper into the minds of people. Meeting the demand, the cosmetic industry is establishing the release of more and more variations of sunscreen products.
Today UV filters can be found not only in special sunscreen cosmetics, but also in daytime creams, decorative cosmetics, hair care products. Cosmetic forms are also very diverse: emulsions, gels, lotions, and sprays.
In the cosmetic industry, the development and testing of sunscreen products is a separate direction, which is given increased attention. Each year there are innovative ingredients and technologies that allow to improve the formulations and improve the appearance of the drugs.
UV filters: general information
Most often in special sunscreen preparations UV filters are listed separately from the other components. In modern sunscreen products, there is rarely one UV filter, usually at least three, or even more. This is explained by the need to provide a sufficiently wide range of protection with a sufficiently high efficiency with a minimum concentration of each of the UV filters. Ta as UV filters can cause skin irritation, choosing the right combination of UV filters largely determines the commercial success of the drug.
In UV filters it is not easy to navigate, because the same substance can be called differently depending on the manufacturer. All UV filters are divided into organic filters that absorb part of the radiation, and to barrier substances, or physical filters that scatter and reflect radiation.
A person who uses sunscreen daily and still spends a lot of time in the sun can put his skin at greater risk than someone who does not use them at all, but intelligently avoids the sun. AT
Recall that when sunlight in the skin produces vitamin D, which is necessary for the formation of bones, and for the development of skin cells. Since the residents of the cold countries spend most of the year only face and hands on the sun, the use of sunscreens with high SPF can cause vitamin D. However, if a resident of the northern country decides to go on a sunny beach near the warm sea, he can not do without sunscreen. Modern high-speed travel, allowing in a few hours from the fog and snow to move to the sunny edges, leave the skin too little time for adaptation.
Which sunscreen should I choose?
When choosing a sunscreen, you must first determine its tasks. If this means for daily protection, it is better to choose just a good day cream and a compact powder (or cream powder) with UV filters. If the product is chosen for a trip to the beach, then again - which beach. If it's a beach in Kiev, where solar radiation is not very intense, then it makes no sense to choose a large protection factor, it's enough to choose SPF 5-10. For the beach on the Black Sea coast, in Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, etc. Already need to choose a factor higher - from 15 to 30 (and of course, even with sunscreen does not have to lie on the beach for hours).
It is important that the sunscreen has a wide spectrum of action, since it has already been proven that UVA radiation is responsible for photoaging and carcinogenesis. It can be said that sunburn is a defensive reaction of the skin, forcing a person to leave the beach and not expose himself to more harmful effects of UV radiation. Those sunscreens that protect the skin only from PV rays, "turn off" this mechanism, freeing a person from paying for excessive enjoyment of the sun. As a result, people can spend under the scorching sun all day, without scorching, but receiving huge doses of UVA. Although UVA does not cause a visible sunburn, it can penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB radiation, damaging the dermal layer.
Recall that the protection factor indicated on the packaging of sunscreen products shows only the effectiveness of protection against UVB radiation, since the system for testing the effectiveness of protection against UVA radiation has not yet been standardized.
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