Importance of SPF
Dare I say all of us have experienced some form of sunburn at some point in our lives, would I be correct in saying it was from being out in the sun to long or without the adequate protection on? How many of you, with age, have also started to notice more ‘brown spots’, freckles, moles and discolouration on your skin or more fine lines, wrinkles and slacking of the skin?
What would you say if I said that most of this was avoidable?
Did you know, Intrinsic ageing is also referred to as chronological ageing. This natural aging process is only responsible for about 20% of aging and is very difficult to control because it’s determined by genes. It is the reason some people begin to see grey hairs in their early 20’s and others may be well into their 40’s or beyond before they experience greying hair. Which means, the other 80% of premature aging is caused by lifestyle choices such as unprotected sun exposure, repetitive facial expressions, smoking, unhealthy diet, and poor skincare regimens. Extrinsic aging is highly controllable with a simple daily skincare program that included a daily UVA/UVB protection, exfoliation, and the use if retinols and peptides to stimulate collagen.
So, what does SPF have to do with this?
Firstly, what is SPF? SPF stands for Sun Protect Factor; we all know that we need to protect our skin from the sun but many of us don’t know what sun care products to use or what we need to protect against. To understand this a little better, we need get a bit scientific, let’s start at the basics, the sun emits UV light (ultraviolet rays) whilst sunlight is vital for life and helps release the feel-good hormones as well as producing vitamin D overexposure can be very damaging for our skin.
Understanding UV
The Sun (or sunbeds and even welding torches) emits UV radiation a form of electromagnetic radiation, there are different types of UV rays, these are based on how much energy they have. The scary part is the rays cannot be seen or felt and are not related to temperature, they can pass through cloud, bounce off reflective surfaces and is the primary cause to skin cancer. Meaning they can cause damage 365 days a year wherever we live whatever we are doing. Higher-energy UV rays can damage the DNA (genes) in cells, which in turn may lead to cancer. But even the highest-energy UV rays do not have enough energy to penetrate deeply into the body, so their main effect is on the skin.
UV radiation is divided into three main groups:
UVA rays think ‘AGEING’ these have the least energy among UV rays. These rays can cause skin cells to age and can cause indirect damage to cells’ DNA. UVA rays are mainly linked to long-term skin damage such as premature ageing in the form of wrinkles, breakdown of collagen/elastin, but they are also thought to play a role in some skin cancers.
UVB rays think ‘BURNING’ these have slightly more energy than UVA rays. They can damage the DNA in skin cells directly and are the main rays that cause sunburns. These rays are also thought to cause most skin cancers.
UVC rays have more energy than the other types of UV rays. Fortunately, because of this, they react with ozone high in our atmosphere and do not reach the ground, so they are not normally a risk factor for skin cancer. But UVC rays can also come from some man-made sources, such as arc welding torches, mercury lamps, and UV sanitizing bulbs used to kill bacteria and other germs (such as in water, air, food, or on surfaces).
What does the number on the SPF mean?
To get the SPF number, a simple formula is used. The number of seconds it takes a patch of skin to slightly redden when covered in sunscreen is divided by the number of seconds it takes to slightly redden when there is no sunscreen applied. Say it took 300 seconds for skin to burn with sunscreen, and 10 seconds to burn without it. 300 is divided by 10, which is 30. The SPF is 30.
While the above laboratory test is pretty good at determining a sunscreen’s SPF, it only gives an indication of how well the sunscreen protects skin against UVB radiation, not the deeper-penetrating UVA. If you want protection against both, you will need to check that your sunscreen is ‘broad spectrum’. Sunscreens that have this on their label have undergone additional laboratory testing. The usual method is one known as persistent pigment darkening (PPD), but there is not a universally recognised way of measuring UVA protection.
There are a couple of other things that are good to know when it comes to a sunscreen’s SPF. The first one is that some UV radiation can always get through to the skin, no matter how high the SPF. No sunscreen can ever block sunburn and associated skin damage completely; sunscreen is only one part of effective sun protection, and not a front-line defence.
The second is that SPF is determined by tests in which a liberal amount of sunscreen is applied. That means that, to actually achieve the protection indicated on the label, you need to apply sunscreen thickly enough—and many people don’t. You also need to reapply the sunscreen every two hours, as it can come off through sweat or by being rubbed off by clothing.
So, what is UVA?
Until recently, scientists did not fully understand the dangers of UVA radiation, so sunscreens weren’t expected to guard against it. As researchers gained more knowledge about the harm UVA rays can cause, sunscreen manufacturers began to incorporate ingredients that protected against them. Companies used the term “broad spectrum” to describe a sunscreen that protected against both UVA and UVB rays. It was a step in the right direction, but for a long-time manufacturers did not have to meet any testing requirements to label their product this way, so the amount of UVA protection was often limited. In 2011, the FDA issued new rules for sunscreen labelling, which required any sunscreen on the market to meet FDA standards for both UVB and UVA protection before it could be labelled broad spectrum.
What is SUNBURN?
Sunburn is a reaction to over-exposure of UV radiation, the superficial layers of the skin release chemicals that cause our blood vessels to expand and leak fluid causing swelling, pain, and redness. Without sun protection, UV radiation penetrates deep into the layers of the skin causing damage to the skin cells. However, this is the UVB causing the burn and can be avoided with the correct protection.
What is Blue light?
Blue light or HEV (High-energy visible light) is part of the visible light spectrum -- what the human eye can see. It penetrates the skin deeper than UVB and UVA, vibrating within the 380 to 500 nanometre range, it has the shortest wavelength and highest energy. About one-third of all visible light is considered high-energy visible, or "blue," light. Sunlight is the most significant source of blue light. Artificial sources of blue light include fluorescent light, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, LEDs, flat screen LED televisions, computer monitors, smart phones, and tablet screens in short, it’s something our skin encounters every day. According to dermatologist Dr. Murad, if you were to spend four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer, you would be exposed to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the midday sun.
However, not all blue light is bad. The HEV wavelength has an antimicrobial effect and is often used as an FDA-approved acne treatment due to its scientifically proven ability to kill the P. acnes bacteria known to cause breakouts.
Now you know that frequent screen time does your complexion a disfavour, but you might be curious as to how exactly blue light damages skin. The answer is due to oxidative stress — the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants.
What should I look for in a SPF?
Broad spectrum SPF to protect against both UVA and UVB rays (Zinc oxide - An EcoCert, reef-safe mineral UV blocker that protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays)
Using no lower that SPF 30
Antioxidants - to protect against environmental factors that cause skin damage.
Blue light protection (such as Digital Aging Defence offers greater light protection with hydrolysed pea protein, a naturally derived ferment that has been shown to protect the skin from the aging effects of blue light and environmental stressors)
How much to apply?
This will vary depending on the surface area of skin that is exposed. However, less is NOT more when it comes to SPF. When applying daily to face, neck, ears I use two fingers worth of ½ tsp. If you are wanting to cover your body, apply liberally all over the body 30 minutes before sun exposure.
MYTH BUSTER - My make-up has SPF, so I do not need to apply any more…. FALSE
If you think of how much make-up you are using its is likely to be less than ½ tsp right? Plus, the SPF will only be one of the components within it meaning the amount of SPF will be very small in comparison so whilst it is great extra additional protection you will need to be using this as well as not instead of.
What else can I do to protect my skin from UV rays?
Whilst wearing a broad-spectrum SPF daily and re-applying every 2 hours when in the sun is imperative, you must not rely on high SPF alone, as no single method can protect you perfectly.
SKCIN Skin Cancer Charity, Recommend 5 simple steps to sun Safety.
1. SLIP on a t-shirt / cover up with protective clothing
2. SLOP on SPF 30+ sunscreen – reapply every 2 hours and/ or when getting out of the water
3. SLAP on a broad brimmed hat
4. SLIDE on quality sunglasses (Offering UV protection)
5. SHADE from the sun when possible
Need help finding an SPF?
At BHBR I use and recommend IMAGE’s PREVENTION+ Range for a daily moisturiser which includes broad-spectrum SPF, antioxidants, and digital defence against blue light. Not sure which is best suited for you feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help.
Resources:
https://www.skincancer.org/blog/broad-spectrum-protection-sunscreen/
https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/what-does-spf-rating-really-mean
https://www.colorescience.com/blogs/blog/blue-light-effect-on-skin