What Do I Wear Now?

First line of defense for beautiful skin..Sunscreen

July 23, 2010 on 2:00 pm | In Maternity Clothes, Pregnancy | No Comments

Skin care is vital to our overall looks and health. Today we are bombarded with millions of products all promising to reverse the aging process, no matter our age.

Let’s start with the most important aspect of skin care…sunscreen.
If you have ever been to the sunscreen aisle at your local drugstore, you know how overwhelming it can be: SPF this, UVA that and then throw in UVBs in the mix and the sunscreen confusion begins!

Choosing the Right SPF in Sunscreen

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. The higher the SPF number, the better protection against the sun’s harmful UVB rays. The SPF number lets you know how much longer you can stay out in the sun without burning. For example, if it takes 15 minutes for a person to burn, an SPF 15 will allow them to stay out in the sun 15 times longer without burning.

UVA and UVB Protection

The label of the sunscreen will indicate the UVA or UVB protection.

UVA rays are responsible for the aging effect of the sun; however, overexposure to UVA rays can cause skin cancer.

UVB rays are responsible for sunburns and skin cancer.

Choose a product that states, “UVA/UVB,” protection or has “broad spectrum” protectant.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends wearing an SPF of 15 or higher for maximum protection. SPF is available in levels from 2 to 60. Does highest mean the best protection? Not necessarily, an SPF of 50 only provides 1% to 2% more protection than an SPF 30.

If you are still undecided, check with your doctor or pharmacist for their recommendations.

Don’t think that just because the day is cloudy you are safe from these rays they are still there so make sunscreen your daily top priority.

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing more skin care for our beautiful moms!