SPFacts

By Kaley Clements

In honor of Melonoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, I have to talk about the SPF facts. Sun burns, aging caused by the sun and sun damage are all preventable with the right SPF knowledge.

Not-so-fun fact: Most signs of aging are caused by sun exposure.

SPF Rules:

Reapply every 2 hours, no matter the sunscreen.
ALWAYS use “broad spectrum.”
Apply 1 tsp or two fingers lengths of SPF to your face and neck. Apply to the rest of your body generously.

Decoding the Math of SPF

SPF 50 x 10 minutes until sun burnt = 500 minutes

When choosing an SPF, the number on the bottle is dependent on how quickly your skin burns. This does not represent the sunscreen potency but rather how long it will last before reapplication. Although if you burn in 10 minutes of being in the sun, and in this scenario, SPF 50 technically protects you for 500 minutes, reapply every 2 hours.

Mineral or chemical sunscreens?

Mineral sunscreens are made from zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Mineral sunscreens are great for kids and people with sensitive skin or acne prone skin. They need to be reapplied more often, especially if exposed to water, sweat and rubbing of the skin.

Chemical sunscreens will absorb into the skin and last much longer without needing constant reapplication. Although chemical sunscreens do degrade over time as well and need reapplication, recommended every 2 hours. These sunscreens blend into the skin easier and do not leave a white cast.

What is your favorite sunscreen?

Product Recommendations:

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 ($30)

MDSolarScience Sensitive Skin Mineral SPF ($35)

TONYMOLY Green Tea SPF 50 ($20)

ELF Skin Tint SPF 50 ($14)

Naked Sundays BeautyScreen SPF 50 Foundation Tint ($30)

SPF Go and Glow Lip Oil ($17)

Sun Bum Tinted Lip Balm SPF 30 ($10)

Dune Suncare The Bod Guard ($22)

SPF Jacket ($30)

For estheticians – I have created a one pager to hand out to clients that you can purchase here on Etsy —> SPFacts