YOU DO! We all do. Every face should wear sunscreen, every day. Rain, Shine, Snow, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, no matter the weather, your skin needs protection and that is what sunscreen does.

“Ultraviolet rays that are the cause of sun damage and skin cancer are always present, they are independent of cold or hot weather and are not blocked by clouds” explains Dr. Shilesh Iyer, M.D., a Board Certified dermatologist with the renowned New York Dermatology Group.

That well know term “UV” stands for Ultra Violet, a type of electromagnetic radiation. UV light, which comes from the sun, is invisible to the human eye and would be severely damaging to living things if not filtered by the earths atmosphere. It makes black-light posters glow, and is responsible for the telltale signs of over-exposure such as summer tans, freckles and sunburns.

Ultraviolet is also responsible for the formation of bone-strengthening vitamin D thus has effects both beneficial and harmful to human health.

UV has A rays and B rays. You have probably heard of them, but as many times as we have seen products that help protect against them, do we actually realize what they are doing?

UVA (aging) rays account for 95% of our sun exposure. They cause skin aging and contribute to skin cancer. UVA rays penetrate deeply into the skin layers, damaging collagen and cells which leads to wrinkling, hyperpigmentation and loss of elasticity. UVB (burning) rays mostly affect the outer layer of the skin. They cause sunburns and tanning that increase the risk of skin cancer and other disorders. The risk for skin cancer doubles in people who have had five or more sunburns. (Skin Cancer Foundation Nov. 2010)

“Broad-spectrum sunscreens” provide protection against both UVA & UVB rays. When wearing broad protection sunscreens, the UVA and UVB rays reflect and scatter away from your skin, providing you protection from sunburn and decreasing the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun.

There are two types of protection, physical and chemical. Chemical sun block contains organic (carbon-based) compounds, such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate and avobenzone, which create a chemical reaction and work by changing UV rays into heat, then releasing that heat from the skin.

Physical sunscreens contain active mineral ingredients, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which work by sitting on top of the skin to deflect and scatter damaging UV rays away from the skin.

Both are beneficial and provide excellent coverage when applied correctly and frequently.

We have a range of sun care options at Bella Body Medical Spa that include physical and chemical sunscreens such as Obagi, EltaMD and Brush on Block – a great “to go” sunscreen that you can toss in your bag and “brush on the sunblock” while on the go without removing makeup.

Give us a call if you have any questions. Our Anti-Aging Skin Care Experts can help guide you to the best protection for your pretty face, 215.622.7724

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