Shield Your Skin: The Crucial Role of Sunscreen in Your Skincare Routine

Now-a-days, skincare has transformed to an intricate regimen designed to maintain and improve skin health and appearance from simple daily hygiene. Amidst the vast array of available products, sunscreen emerges as a fundamental element of an effective skincare routine. Its main function is to shield the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, a major contributor to skin aging and hyper pigmentation. Sunscreen achieves this protection through a blend of organic and inorganic ingredients that together block UV radiation from penetrating the skin.

Role of sunscreen in your skincare routine:

• What is sunscreen?

Sunscreen isn't just a summer skin care essential—it's a year-round necessity for maintaining healthy skin. UVA rays from the sun penetrate deep into the skin causing premature aging, wrinkles, and cell damage, while UVB rays primarily affect the outer layers of the skin, increasing the risk of sunburn and skin cancers, including melanoma. An effective sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays by providing protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

• Power of SPF:

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to protect the skin from the sun's UVB rays. Hence, the higher the SPF value, the higher the level of protection. For daily use, dermatologists recommend using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, which blocks about 97% of UVB rays. However, no sunscreen can provide complete protection, so reapplication and other sun-safe practices are crucial for comprehensive protection.

• Benefits of sunscreen in your regular skincare routine:

• Studies have shown that people who use sunscreen daily show 24% less skin aging than those who don't, meaning that regular use of sunscreen significantly reduces the risk of photo aging.
• Sunscreen helps maintain an even skin tone by counteracting uneven skin pigmentation by protecting the skin from sunburn and sun-induced dark spot formation.
• Sunscreen helps protect the skin's natural immune system by protecting it from UV-induced damage, maintaining overall skin health.
• Apply enough sunscreen to cover all exposed areas, including the face, neck and ears, and reapply every two hours.
• UV rays can damage the skin in winter and even on cloudy days. So, sunscreen should be used throughout the year regardless of the weather.

Your skin is your body's first line of defense. Sunscreen works as your shield against the sun's harmful rays and helps you embrace a lifetime of healthy, glowing skin. Therefore, including sunscreen in a daily skincare routine is extremely common but profoundly beneficial. Let's strengthen our skin against sun damage and the risk of skin cancer by integrating sunscreen and sun-safe practices into our daily skin care routine.