By Sophie Addison
The skin is one of the most important parts of the body, and the importance is even more intense when you factor in keeping up the health and beauty. This is because it is the part that makes up your image and the general measure of your wellbeing. Many people are probably obsessed with getting a glowing and flawless skin.
However, you may never get to enjoy the benefits of a beautiful skin due to factors like smoking, alcohol and the sun, which are capable of causing darkening, drying and wrinkles on your skin and hence render it unattractive. However, among these three, it is the sun that you should be most wary of. This is because it does not only pose the danger of damaged skin, but also that of skin cancer.
But how does the sun do that?
Now, we experience the sun in terms of rays. However, unbeknownst to us, we also get exposed to the harmful UV rays that are responsible for skin damage. When these rays hit your skin, they will penetrate into the layers beneath and attack the protein and DNA. In response, your body will react by producing a layer of dead skin that will help prevent any further entry by the rays and also remove nay cells that may have been destroyed by the rays. This is the layer you see peeling off after a long period of being exposed to the sun. However, the body may not always be able to fully get rid of all the cells that may have been damaged by the rays. When these damaged cells remain in the body, they may trigger the abnormal cell growth that will be realized as skin cancer.
Now, am sure this is not a situation you want to undergo. This is why you should endeavor to find strategies that will help keep the menace of skin damage at bay. It is in this attempt to shield your skin from the sun that you will most probably encounter the terms sun protection and sunscreen. But what are they really?
Sunscreen
This refers to any product that you apply on your skin that will help prevent the skin’s penetration by the harmful rays of the sun. According to DR Wang, it is the organic and inorganic components of the sunscreen that will help counter the radiation and convert it to just mere heat. Therefore, it is important to apply sunscreen generously to your skin before you go out. You should also give it time to get absorbed before you go out and reapply regularly.
In addition, it is important to use a sunscreen with a high SPF value in order to grant your skin maximum protection. This is because it is the SPF value of a sunscreen will determine your skin’s resistance to damage. If for instance it takes you a ten minute exposure to the sun to get sunburn, then you go ahead to use a sunscreen with a SPF of 30, you will have granted your skin 300 minutes of shielding. This is why experts define a safe sunscreen as one with a SPF of 30 and above as it will protect your skin for longer periods.
Nonetheless, you cannot solely rely on sunscreen for your overall sun protection. Because what would happen to the eyes? What if it dries out and you do not have any to reapply? This is why you should be well acquainted with the term:
Sun protection
This is an umbrella term used to refer to all those methods that you will use in a bid to ward off the harmful UV rays from the sun. These will range from the sunscreen your smear on your body, to the clothing your wear, the hats and even those sunglasses. The main purpose here will be to ensure that your skin gets exposed to as little sun rays as possible and that you are still protected even when sunscreen dries of.
To cut the long story short, the difference between these two terms lies in the fact that sun protection is the overall attempt to ward off the harmful rays while sunscreen is just one strategy used in this venture.
Conclusion
The sun is the leading cause of skin damage. This is why you should get as many strategies as possible to protect your skin from the harmful UV rays. It is in this attempt to keep your skin safe that you will encounter sunscreen and skin protection. Now you may be tempted to think that these two are synonymous, probably because sunscreen is the most common form of sun protection you know, but they are not. The scrutiny above has been able to show that these two are not equals but rather a sunscreen is just a single measure in skin protection.
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Author Bio:
Sophie Addison is a popular blogger and writer on beauty and general health related tips and articles. She is very passionate about health news and beauty. She has posted articles on skin care, tips for using eyelashes, weight loss and celebrity beauty news. She is contributing Consumer Health Digest from past few years. Apart from work she likes gardening and listening music. You can also contact her on Facebook and Pinterest.
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