5 Things You Need to Know About SPF in Sunscreens

1.

Sunscreens block or absorb the sun's ultraviolet radiation protecting your skin against damage that can lead to skin cancer as well as aging. All sunscreens have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating. They indicate how well the sunscreen protects your skin against a particular ultraviolet light known as UVB. UVB is the shorter wavelength of ultraviolet light. It is high energy and high risk for inducing skin cancers. The SPF tells you how long you can stay in the sun without getting a sunburn from UVB.

2.

Consider this: If you ordinarily look like a boiled lobster after 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure, then by adequately applying an SPF 30 sunscreen, it would take 7 and 1/2 hours to get the same sunburn.

3.

An SPF of 15 filters about 93% of the sun's ultraviolet rays. An SPF of 30, about 97%, an SPF of 50, about 98%. You can quickly see that as the SPF get higher, the amount of additional ultraviolet radiation that gets to your skin is minimal.

4.

SPF is only valid if adequate sunscreen is applied.

5.

SPF does not mean that the sunscreen is stable.