Do you know the best antiaging agent? It is none other than sunscreen. Wondering how? Lets see its benefits. Sunscreen protect our skin from harmful rays of sunlight, like ultraviolet, infrared and visible light. These rays leads to the development of freckles, fine lines, wrinkles, tanning and worsening of pigmentation. Regular application of sunscreen will give you:
- 1. Antiaging effect by delaying onset of fine lines and wrinkles.
- 2. Prevent occurrence of freckles.
- 3. Further darkening of existing pigment, freckles.
How to select sunscreen?
The selection of appropriate sunscreen as per your skin type and skin concern is prerequisite. While selecting your sunscreen look for following:
- 1. Broad spectrum – You should use sunscreen, which has broad coverage against various types of sunrays like UVA (causing pigmentation and tanning, look for PA rating of 3+, boot star rating of 3star), UVB (SPF greater than 30). If you have any pigmentation issue, then you should look for extra protection in the form of infrared light (look for tinted sunscreen) and visible light. Sitting at home or car doesn’t promise any sun protection as sunrays can penetrate through glass.
- 2. Non-comedogenic – Sunscreen with non-comedogenic properties does not clog the pores, and are safe for acne-prone skin.
- 3. Hypoallergic – This type of sunscreen does not contain any potential allergen and has lower risk of any allergy.
- 4. Water resistant – This kind of sunscreen give you protection while you are swimming, working out or sweating for at least 40min.
How to apply sunscreen?
- 1. When to apply?
You should apply your sunscreen daily irrespective of season and whether you are indoor or outdoor. Sunrays can penetrate through clouds and windows. Moreover the blue light coming from screens can also worsen existing pigmentation. - 2. Is one application sufficient?
Reapplication of sunscreen is equally important, as none of the sunscreen can last for more 3-4hours. So you should reapply sunscreen every 3-4hourly. If you work out or are swimmer, apply sunscreen after working out and swimming. - 3. How much quantity to apply?
For face you should take sunscreen from the bottom to the top of your index finger or half a teaspoon for face and double of that to cover face and neck. - 4. Is sunscreen safe for kids, pregnant lady or people with sensitive skin?
Sunscreen is very safe for everyone provided you picked up the right one. For kids, pregnant lady and people with sensitive skin, physical sunscreen is advisable. - 5. Which all areas you should cover with sunscreen?
Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed parts of the body like face, neck, hands and legs too. For face gel formulations are aesthetically acceptable while for other body parts, you can go for lotion formulation. - 6. How to apply sunscreen?
Take adequate amount of sunscreen and put small dots all over your face. Just spread sunscreen gently with your fingertips. Your face may look whitish immediately after sunscreen application, but that settle in next 5-10min. Don’t massage sunscreen to get it absorbed inside your skin. Rather it should form a barrier between your skin and sunrays. after 5-10min, just even out the sunscreen and you are done. - 7. How to reapply sunscreen after make up?
If you have to put make up over your face, then probably you can go for spray or powder sunscreen.
