Standing in the supermarket aisle, it can be pretty confusing when you’re attempting to find the right sunscreen for you and your family. Should you go for sunscreen SPF 50 that’s mineral based or a chemical brand that’s SPF 15? Without some knowledge to guide you, it can be almost impossible to protect yourself from skin ageing and melanoma.
There are so many options, but the choice you make is important. Make the wrong choice, and you risk sunburn for yourself and your little ones – so it’s no joke. Before we look at SPF levels and what they mean, however, let’s look at another term you’ll encounter – Broad Spectrum.
What Does Broad Spectrum Mean For Sunscreen?
When you step into the sunlight, there are two types of rays that come into contact with the skin, short-wave UVB rays and long-wave UVA rays. UVA rays are known to damage the skin deeply and result in certain cancers, as well as causing wrinkles and other forms of skin ageing.
UVB rays are also known to cause skin cancer, impacting the top layers of the skin, so if your sunscreen SPF 50 says broad spectrum on the label, it means it protects against a broad spectrum of UV rays i.e. both UVA and UVB rays. If it doesn’t, it won’t.
So, What Do SPF Levels Stand For?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and the number that follows it (15, 30 or 50) relates to the time it takes for the skin to burn when it’s applied to the skin. The general consensus is that it can take as little as 10 minutes to burn in the sun without protection, and the figure states that it takes 15, 30 or 50 times longer to burn with it on.
So, an SPF 15 means 10 mins x 15 = 150 minutes and an SPF 50 would mean it takes 50x longer – 500 minutes. However, it’s important to know that there is no such thing as a sunscreen that gives you 100% UV protection all of the time. They slow down the burning process, with each providing the following level of UV protection…
- Sunscreen SPF 15 protects you against 93% of UV rays
- Sunscreen SPF 30 protects you against 97% of UV rays
- Sunscreen SPF 50 protects you against 99% of UV rays
So, what this means is that even SPF 50 lets through 1% of UV rays. A lot of people think that an SPF 15 offers ½ of the protection provided by SPF 30, but the difference is only 4%. The upshot of this is that an SPF 15 broad spectrum sunscreen is going to offer more protection than an SPF 50 that isn’t.
Use Sunscreen SPF 50 Broad Spectrum – Why Take Chances?
While it might make you look amazing to have a sun tan, you don’t want it to come at the expense of your skin’s health. That’s why you shouldn’t take chances with it – as it’s the body’s largest organ and one that you should protect in any way you can.
If you want to be sure that you and your family are getting enough UV protection, it should be SPF 50 broad spectrum every time. And don’t forget to reapply every two hours, no matter how much they protest the fact. Then, you (or they) sweat or go swimming, reapply again.
Lastly, don’t assume that sunscreen is just for the beach or spending time by the pool. The sun is out every day, and you need protection even when it’s cloudy. As such, it should be the first thing you think about before leaving home.
