The guide to sunscreen & your skin!
Indian women are afraid of tanning, we love to flaunt our fair skin! Sunscreens help in preventing sun burns and tanning by building a protective layer on the skin which protects from the harmful UV rays. We all have been drilled with the common beauty advice of not stepping out without sunscreen; many of us do not pay heed to it. Here are some interesting facts about SPF and their usage.
Check the expiry date: Expired sunscreen is harmful as their effect decreases and so does the SPF. Old sunscreens crystallize, separate, and might have a foul odor because of the bacterial and fungal growth. These can give you a rash or an allergy! Always check the expiry date of the cream before applying it.
Reapply: A single coat of sunscreen and you are done? Wrong, a single coat is not enough to protect the skin all day long, even the water proof variety. The aim is to reapply it after every two hours even if you are just out in the sun. It is best when you apply sunscreen half an hour before going outside; this gives its ingredients to form a protective layer.
Use indoors too: The main use of sunscreen is to protect against the UV rays. These rays aren’t blocked by clouds or glass, which means you’ll need SPF even if you are indoors. The sun rays penetrating through the glass windows of your house are also harmful but comparatively lesser than the direct rays. Many also believe that sunscreen is not required on a cloudy day but it’s a myth as clouds do not block the rays.
SPF foundation isn’t enough: Now plenty of foundations and makeup products with SPF are available in the market but these products are not enough. You need to put a base of sunscreen before applying makeup.
Apply all over the body: UV rays even penetrate through the clothes but many think that only body parts directly exposed to sun needs to be protected. Clothes do block some rays but it is always advisable use sunscreen all over the body to prevent discoloration.
