Sunscreen Ingredients That Provide Protection From UV Radiation
Sunscreen Facts, Photaging, And Skin Cancer Protection
Several sunscreen ingredients are combined to stop harmful sun rays from penetrating the skin and causing a host of skin changes and damage.
It is essential to ensure that your skin is protected ALWAYS. Exposure to suns ultraviolet rays accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging.
Body and face sunscreen is important anti aging skin care products used to prevent photoaging of the skin, lowering your immunity against infection, and skin cancer.
Sun screen is essential in today’s fight against the dangerous and harmful UV (ultraviolet) sunrays. Without adequate sunscreen protection, skin is left to the damaging effects of the radiation from the sun causing sun damage to skin such as premature aging, wrinkles, skin pigmentation, age spots, skin freckles, and various skin cancers.
There are two main types of radiation, UVA and UVB radiation.
It is important that your sunblock has the necessary active ingredients in sunscreen to protect the skin from both of these radiations for sun safety.
Choosing The Best Sunscreen Ingredients
Various necessary ingredients that compose the sunscreen product are needed to protect against skin sun damage and give the best possible benefit.
No sunscreen can completely block the sun’s rays. This is the reason to check the ingredients list and look for sunscreen with at least a SPF 30 rating that offers protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
A SPF 30 factor level is now recommended by most dermatologists across America to protect you adequately from the sun. Chemical And Physical Active Sunscreen Ingredients
Active ingredients in sunscreen fall into two broad categories.
Most ingredients in sunscreen products are chemical absorbers for either UVB or UVA.
This type of sunscreen ingredient creates a chemical reaction to absorb UV.
Chemical ingredients (also called Chemical blocks) prevent sunlight from penetrating and entering the skin.
A few are reflectors, sometimes also called physical "blockers".
Physical sunblocks reflect UV radiation back into the atmosphere.
Reflectors are physical barriers that block or reflect UV rays away from the skin.
The intensity of UVA radiation is more constant than UVB without the variations during the day and throughout the seasons. UVA is also not filtered by glass and why it’ important to protect yourself in a car or when exposed by windows.
Because both lead to skin cancer, cause damage to the skin and our DNA, it’s important to pick a sunscreen with broad spectrum protection that shields out both types of rays.
Most sunscreens contain some mixture of absorbers and/or reflectors and are available in gels, sunblock cream, mousses, lotions and moisturizers.
Hypo allergic, waterproof, and organic sunscreen products are also available.
If you can't find a sun screen that contains both UVA and UVB protection, or if chemical sunscreens irritate your skin when deciding on a sunscreen product you should look for organic sunblock or an ”broad-spectrum” product.(UVA and UVB protection to make sure you are protected against the long-wave(UVA) and also the short-wave rays(UVB)
Look for sunscreen products that list at least three active ingredients, which is the minimum number for broad-spectrum protection. Products with four or more sun screen ingredients typically contain a physical blocker and offer more protection.
Take a look at this partial list of ingredients that can be found in many sunscreen lotions.
Some of the ingredients designed to prevent UVB, UVA, or both radiation include:
Aminobenzoic acid
Cinnamates
Ethylhexyl p-Methoxycinnamate
Glyceryl Aminobenzoate
Salicylates
Homomenthyl Salicylate
Triethanolamine
PABA (Para Aminobenzoic Acid)
Padimate A
Padimate O
Octyl Dimethyl Paba
Octocrylene
OMC (Octyl Methoxycinnamate)
OCS (Octyl Salicytate)
Octocrylene-Octocrylene is a chemical known as a cinnamate that has both UVA- and UVB-absorbing properties
Zinc Oxide- UVA & UVB protection. In the past, this messy, opaque, thick cream can be remembered as a white, chalky paint often seen on the nose of people at the beach.
Advances in technology have led to micronized zinc oxide with much smaller particles today making it less visible. The smaller particle size allows them to go on more smoothly without leaving a noticeable white paste on the skin.
Titanium Oxide- UVA & UVB protection
Ecamsule - marketed under the name Mexoryl, was the most recent addition to the ingredient list in July ‘06.
Mexoryl SX is developed and patented by L'Oréal as one of the most effective UVA-blocking ingredient currently available. Sunscreen with Mexoryl products include broad spectrum UVA/UVB Anthelios Sunscreen by La Roche Posay.
Importance Of SunscreenProtecting your skin from the sun’s rays will reduce your chances of developing skin cancer and premature aging.
Giving continuous anti aging skin care to your skin will rejuvenate sun damaged skin.
Practice sunscreen protection early - Most damage occurs in childhood.
Learning what sunscreen ingredients make up a sunscreen product will help you in your decision when purchasing
