Sunscreen: your guarantee of beautiful skin

The FDA, the US food and drug regulator, recently announced that in 2012 there will be changes to sunscreen labels to better inform consumers.

Well, the label you are used to reading contains information that causes a lot of confusion and, when it comes to skin and sun, it is important that there is no doubt because the excess sun and unprotected is one of the biggest villains of the skin. Let's understand this subject better then?

Broad spectrum protectors

When a protector passes the FDA test and actually protects the skin against UVA and UVB rays, it may carry this 'broad spectrum protection' on the label. This means that a sunscreen not only avoids that redness that results in peeling later.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin and cause burns, but their intensity does not vary with the season. UVB rays vary in intensity (they get much stronger from 10am to 4pm) and are responsible for skin cancer in the areas of the skin that are most exposed. Here in Brazil, the protectors come with this distinction. So always choose the ones that protect from both UVA and UVB rays, ok?

Solar and waterproof blocker

From now on, the FDA is no longer allowed by the protectors to say on their labels that they are? Sunscreen? or "waterproof". What happens in reality is that once you get into the water, whether it's sea or pool, or even after sweating a lot, the protector diminishes its effectiveness, so you need to reapply it. That is, it has nothing to do with saying that it is waterproof.

Already the term blocker was banned from labels because it confuses. By reading sunscreen, you believe you are fully protected for the rest of the day, which is not true. It is vital to reapply the sunscreen every two hours when it is in direct sun exposure.

SPF less than 15

If a sunscreen has an SPF below 15, the FDA requires the label to be properly informed that the product does not help prevent cancer or premature skin aging. Recalling that the acronym SPF stands for "sun protection factor".

Ideally you should opt for a filter with SPF 30, this number indicates that you are 30 times more protected from UVB rays, ie you need 30 times more UVB solar radiation to trigger a sunburn than if you were not using it. anything. So as long as the proper amount of sunscreen is applied, is it not worth saving too much combined? Be generous right now.

If you're on the whitest team, you can be safer with a factor of 50. Spending 20 or 30 minutes before going out in the sun is ideal, so it's already taking effect when it's exposed.

Always remember!

Now that you understand what changes are going to happen, you need to remember some basic precautions:

SUNSCREEN in UV (May 2024)