The benefits of sunscreen: Don’t say you have skin care without sunscreen

For many novices who have just started skin care, it is easy to fall into the misunderstanding of only focusing on hydrating, moisturizing and whitening. In fact, the skin itself has a certain moisturizing function, but sun protection is of utmost importance. So what exactly does applying sunscreen do?

Benefits of Sunscreen

Sun protection is the last step of skin care. It can effectively protect our skin from the damage of ultraviolet rays, prevent the skin from darkening under the sun, and reduce the possibility of sunburn to a certain extent.

The harm of ultraviolet rays and the importance of sun protection

Ultraviolet rays (UV) in sunlight are the most powerful and cumulative of all exogenous factors that cause skin aging. Therefore, extrinsic aging of the skin is called "photoaging". There are four types of damage caused by ultraviolet rays to the skin:

Damage 1: Blackening

The term is blackening. When melanocytes sense ultraviolet rays, they will accelerate the secretion of melanin, which is then input into the epidermal cells. The size of the melanocytes themselves will also increase, and the skin will become darker. Some people get instant tanning, while others get delayed tanning. The function of melanin is to absorb and shield ultraviolet rays, so melanization is essentially the skin's natural self-protection mechanism. For people who do not pay attention to sun protection, whitening will be very, very, very difficult.

Damage 2: Photosensitivity reaction

Essentially, this is because some people are highly sensitive to ultraviolet rays and have acute reactions after exposure (but normal people do not). If they consume a large amount of photosensitive foods, the photosensitive components in them will bind to receptors in the cells and cause serious phototoxic reactions.

Ultraviolet radiation accounts for about 7% of sunlight, of which 95% is UVA and 5% is UVB. UVB is relatively easy to block, even a layer of glass can do it, but UVA is very penetrating, and thin clothing and glass are not enough to stop it. The damage it causes is more serious, so it becomes the focus of protection.

Does not using sunscreen cause skin aging?

meeting. Ultraviolet rays cause collagen and elastin to break down and denature. The collagen fibers in young skin are thick and well-organized, but as we age, they become a mess with decreased elasticity, loss of moisture, more serious free radical damage, and roughness, dullness, and wrinkles. Because ultraviolet rays are the biggest factor causing skin aging, exogenous skin aging is also called "photoaging".

Principles of sun protection

Sunscreen is not the first choice of sun protection for both children and adults. We must follow the principle of "one hiding, two covering, three sun protection":

First, avoid the sun : Avoid exposure to the sun between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., when UV rays are most intense.

The second is shelter : try to find a cool place when outdoors, and use sun-protective clothing, sun hats, umbrellas and other items to block ultraviolet rays.

Finally, there is sunscreen : sunscreen has complex ingredients and often causes adverse reactions, especially in very sensitive infants and young children. And sunscreen cannot block 100% of ultraviolet rays, so it can only be used as a supplementary means of sun protection.