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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Avoid Confusion Between Sunblock And Sunscreen!

Worried about protecting your skin from harmful UV rays? Sunblock is very helpful in protecting your skin from UV rays emerging from sun. A sunblock can physically block the absorption of UV rays of your skin. It is usually categorized into two types: one is physical sun block and other is chemical sunblock. The most popular chemical sun block is zinc oxide.



Don’t get confused with sunscreen and sunblock.

Most of the people get confused with sunblock and sunscreen and more often use the words interchangeably. Sunblock is different from sunscreen. Sunscreen protects your skin from the absorption of UV radiations where as sunblock physically blocks the rays of ultra violet, penetrating into your skin.

Sunblocks like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are very effective in protecting your skin from several sunburns and skin cancers. They are often visible and appear white on your skin. On the other hand, sunscreens are invisible and absorb the UV rays of sun falling on your skin.

Sunscreens usually contain benzophenones, which are very helpful in the protection of UVA radiations. Cinnamates and salicytes are very useful for protecting your skin from UVB rays. (Read How Sunscreen Work)

How to choose best sunblock for your skin?

Sunblocks are very helpful in protecting your skin from the absorption of UVA and UVB radiations. Usually these sunblocks are rated with sun protection factor (SPF). This rating indicates how long a sunscreen can be effective for your skin after the application.

Sunblocks usually vary from person to person. A sunblock used for UVA and UVB protection must usually have SPF rating of 30, is normally recommended for every one. It is very useful for daily use. You can determine how long can your sunblock will be effective by multiplying this SPF factor by the time duration for which your skin can resist sun burns.

For example, you normally develop sunburns within 15 minutes after exposure of your skin to sun without wearing any sunscreen. A sunscreen with SPF of 20 can protect your skin for 300 minutes (15 min multiplied with SPF of 20).

The ingredients used in a sunblock also vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and can be categorized into chemical and physical. Chemical sunblocks works well by absorbing UV rays before they cause harm to your skin where as physical sunblocks reflects UV rays before they reach to your skin.

Sunblocks are available in the market in many different forms like lotions, creams, sprays, oils and also gels. Water resistant sunblocks are also available for the people, those who are involved in water sports. It is very important for you to check the label of the product before purchasing.

Try different types of sunblocks and choose the one which is suitable for your skin. If any of the sunblock is resulting in rashes or any allergic reactions, then try another brand or form of sunblock and protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

source : skincarebeautyzone.com

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