The sun, that intimate enemy

Do you remember those tips from grandma encouraging us to sunbathe to solve a skin or muscular problem? Speaking about me, I remember at least a dozen times when grandma encouraged me to go out and sunbathe in the garden to be healthier.

Holidays was a similar story, unfortunately in the family there was no culture around sunlight and its effects, so the protection was limited to a hat and from time to time wearing some sunscreen on the shoulders and back (in fact my father used to get confused about the difference between sunscreen and suntan lotion).

Technology and media have changed a lot in recent years and today we are much more aware on the subject.

As I plan to do several blog entries about the sun, I feel like I can go into the subject in parts, so that we are all informed and we can exchange questions and answers. That was the main reason why I felt compelled to open this blog, to interact with you.

So the first topic I want to touch on in this regard is labeling and its meaning, in particular a nomenclature that many of us overlook: UVA and UVB in sunscreen packaging (here in the image below, see how both indicators appear above the number 50).

We are talking about radiation, solar rays emit a small portion of ultraviolet radiation, but it affects our skin. Scientists divide the rays into Ultra Violet A and Ultra Violet B. These rays have the power to damage the DNA of skin cells, specifically the genes that control the growth of our skin. Sounds like a bad movie, right? The important thing is that none of us is safe from developing a DNA mutation caused by UV radiation.

Now lets differentiate its effects.

UVA rays age skin cells and can damage the DNA in these cells. These rays are associated with long-term skin damage such as wrinkles. Almost all tanning beds emit UVA rays so be very careful. These rays also cause cancer, with somewhat less power and intensity than UVB.

UVBs have slightly more energy than UVA rays. These rays can directly damage the DNA of skin cells, and are the main rays that cause sunburn. They are also believed to cause most skin cancers.

Here's the good thing, how you can use this information the next time you go to the supermarket and buy a sunscreen.

SPF: is the degree of protection against UVB rays. The number indicates, in minutes, how long a protected skin could be exposed to the sun without burning.

UVA protection: if the UVA symbol appears surrounded by a circle, it means that it complies with the European recommendation (it must be at least 1/3 of the SPF).

PA: it is another way of expressing the degree of UVA protection, the more '+' signs, the greater the protection.

How to choose according to your skin type.

If you have very fair skin and light eyes, use SPF50 +; if the skin is clear and the eyes brown, an SPF30; and if your skin and eyes are dark or you are already tanned, an SPF20-15.

Final fact that I want to share: Sunscreen is the best anti-wrinkle cream. Using sunscreen daily reduces the signs of aging by 24%.

To you who got to this point in the reading, I thank you enormously for giving me a little bit of your attention, I am very excited to exchange points of view and answer your questions! See you in the next blog, or post, or entry or whatever you call it!