3 of 5

The importance of sunscreen

by Krystal Angebrandt

Picking the Right sunscreen!

As the years go on and the season's change the winters keep getting colder and the summers keep getting warmer. Sunscreen shouldn't be something to think about only in the summer; it should be thought about year round. The national cancer association keeps sending out devastating polls of Skin Cancer being on the rise. And the most devastating part of this is that it is showing up more in our youth today, than it did 30 years ago.

The sun is one of the harshest elements to our skin, and protecting it is a must. Sunscreen can be found in almost everything these days from lip balm to laundry additives. There are great deals of products out on the market that can help reduce your chances of getting skin cancer. Skin Cancer is caused by UVA and UVB rays which are both harmful ultra violet rays that the sun emits. Not all sunscreens are created equal, there are several different SPF's, waterproof or water resistant, spray on or normal lotion, and now there is soy based or oil based. Now all of this can make anyone go crazy, but here are the facts. When shopping for a sunscreen you always want to read the label make sure it blocks both UVA and UVB rays because some only block one, and that it has the National cancer association seal on it. The higher the SPF the better, for light skin I would recommend SPF 35 and higher because of the lack of pigments in the skin. Waterproof sunscreen is the best for any type of swimming activity or sports activity. For water resistant products won't stay on your skin for as long as waterproof no matter what activity you do. When shopping for sunscreens you may come a crossed spray sunscreens these only spray a thin layer of sunscreen and doesn't protect you as well as the traditional lotion. Many sunscreens are now soy based which is wonderful because it protects you longer than oil based sunscreens.

So when out shopping for sunscreens remember:
Read the label for protection against UVA/UVB rays
SPF the higher the better
Waterproof for every activity
Stay away from the spray
And soy is a skins best friend

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA