Sun protection

When we want or we have to extend the time in the sun or if we have to be in the sun at the time of more radiation, melanin is not enough and there appears the need to have sun protection. The main ingredient of sun protection creams are filters which can be physical (minerals) or chemical (synthetic). The first ones are surer for our health than the chemicals which interact with our biology and can produce potentially dangerous substances. Let us choose the first ones.

How can we do it

A protector cream can have more than one filter, and of several types. We can know of which kind they are by reading the list of ingredients that all the protectors have to bear.
The natural protection creams use only physical filters and contain less synthetic ingredients than the conventional ones (preservatives, artificial colourings...) Some brands are: Anne Marie Börlind, Dr. Haushcka, Santé, Santaverde. They can be found in organic stores.

The sun protection factor (SPF) of a cream measures how long the skin can be in the sun and maintain a low risk for sunburn. The more filters it has, more is the protection factor. The number of SPF is considered nowadays little accurate, because between factor 5 and 25 there is a great difference and on the contrary from 30 to 50 very little (you can see it here). This is why a new standard nomenclature is being introduced all over the world, low, medium, high and very high protection. Let us avoid that the protection factors mislead us.

How can we do it

The protecting capacity of a cream with factor 15 (medium protection according to the new nomenclature) is considerable, it lets pass a 7% of UVB rays and as a maximum, 70% of UVA. But this will not avoid the harmful effects if we are in the sun for a long time; no cream protects us 100%. The European legislation does not allow that the labels include any appeal that may induce you to believe that you are fully protected (as for example total screen or sun block). In the United States the creams with a factor superior to 30 that practically block all the UVB rays and a third of UVA) are forbidden to avoid an excessive confidence of the user.
Factor 30 or up (high or very high) is meant for extreme cases (such as high mountain) or pathological ones (allergy to sun, for example).
In the creams based on chemical filters, a high factor implies a bigger quantity of potentially dangerous substances. Those which bases are physical filters don't usually have more than 30, because the resulting cream would be very thick and difficult to spread.

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Data d'actualització: 11/06/2010 - 09:52