10 TIPS TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT SUNSCREEN

Every year the time comes for us to choose the sunscreen that will stay with us throughout the holidays. But with so much variety we can’t always choose. Here are 10 tips to bear in mind when choosing the best for your skin

We know it’s essential to protect ourselves from the sun but do we know what we should be looking for in a sunscreen? We must of course choose one that we like, that is comfortable and easy to apply, but which also meets a key number of requirements for safely and suitably protecting our skin.

10 tips to make sure you make the right choice of sunscreen this summer:

1.- Phototype: The first thing to bear in mind is the colour of your eyes, hair and skin. There are 7 phototypes, I is the palest and VII is the darkest and includes black and some Asian races. It is advised to use a high-factor broad spectrum sunscreen daily in South Africa.

2.- Destination: The place where we are going to be exposed to the sun is an influencing factor. As we get closer to the Equator, the radiation is more intense. The same happens with altitude. Solar radiation increases by 10-15% each 1000 m. We also have to bear in mind not only direct sunlight but also its reflection on the water (30%), sand (10%), grass (5%) and even asphalt (2%). It all adds up.

3.- Wide spectrum protection: For your sunscreen to be effective it should cover all the rays that make up the solar spectrum and affect the different layers of the skin: UVB rays, UVA rays, long UVA rays and infrared rays. 

4.-Balanced protection: there must be an appropriate balance between the protection rating of UVB rays (spf) and UVA rays (ppd). When this is the case, the UVA symbol will appear within a circle on the packaging, so keep a look out for it!

5.-Photosensitivity: is fundamental that the sunscreen maintains the protection rating that appears on the packaging application after application.

6.-Remanence: we must also make sure it’s resistant to water, sweat, friction...

7.- Substantivity: for it to be effective it should be distributed evenly across the skin.

8.-Tolerance:  In order to adapt to your skin type perfectly, make sure it has been dermatologically tested on different ski types, populations, etc

9.-Cosmeticity: that is to say, texture. Choose the one that best suits your preferences and skin type. Nowadays there is a wide variety to choose from: gels, creams, oils, mists...

10.-Special advice: if you are in doubt, your dermatologist or pharmacist will be able to recommend the most suitable sunscreen for your skin.