Is Sunscreen Necessary?

The human body has an incredible ability to heal itself. But the ability is not absolute. You can recover from a cold or minor illness without medical intervention, but you will need surgery and medications for broken bones. Why is this understanding important to an article on sunscreen? The skin, the body's largest organ, is constantly repairing itself against the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. But it cannot, on its own, prevent or repair skin damage from sun exposure. The good news is that sunscreen can. In this post, we provide an understanding of why sunscreen is important to your skin and overall health.

5 Reasons Explaining Importance of Sunscreen

How do you gain from applying sunscreen every day? Take a look.

1. Protects Against Harmful UV Rays

Sunlight consists of visible and invisible rays. Long waves, like infrared rays, are harmless to people. But short rays, like UV rays, can enter your skin and affect its appearance and health. You want to watch out for overexposure to UV rays - that means spending more than 20 minutes outside, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are most intense. But what about Vitamin D, you may ask? Vitamin D supports bone health and has been seen to have a positive effect on our mood. Fact: You need about 10-15 minutes of sunlight on the back of your hands, arms, and face, to get enough of these protective benefits.

On the other hand, staying out in the sun for longer increases the risk of UVA and UVB rays penetrating your skin and causing damage to skin cells. UVA rays penetrate skin and damage elastin and collagen, the proteins that maintain the elasticity and firmness of skin. They can also damage the DNA within skin cells, causing them to grow out of control, which can lead to skin cancer.

As your skin cannot prevent UV damage on its own, you need sunscreen, which is formulated to block and absorb UV rays. A sunscreen consists of physical ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which reflect UV radiation from the skin, and chemical ingredients that react with the UV radiation before it penetrates the skin, absorbing the rays and releasing the energy as heat. Using sunscreen offers a number of sun protective benefits, as explained below.

2. Reduces dark pigments/tanning

Indian skin does not burn easily but it does tan easily. In addition, Indian skin is susceptible to pigmentation disorders. The incidence of skin hyperpigmentation, including melasma, a condition where patches of dark pigment occur on the face, is higher among Indians than people in Western countries. Sun exposure is a common cause of skin pigmentation such as melasma and sunspots. The body produces more melanin to absorb the UV rays and shield cells from further damage, resulting in darker color of the skin. Put another way, tanning and hyperpigmentation are injury responses to UV rays. More worryingly, the same UV rays that cause tanning can lead to premature skin aging and increase skin cancer risk.

With sunscreen, you will still tan to an extent but not at the level you might without it. Sunscreen will not get rid of or fade hyperpigmentation, but a lack of it can cause more permanent discoloration. Sunspots do not typically disappear completely. Foregoing sunscreen can lead to more sunspots and increase blemishes on your skin and other areas most exposed to the sun, including your back, shoulders and the backs of your hands. Yet another reason why sunscreen is important and deserves a place in your skincare kit.

3. Prevents premature aging

"Is sunscreen really necessary for Indian skin?" is a question we're frequently asked. Sunscreen is important for all skin tones, including Indian skin tones. Having more melanin does not make you immune from the damaging effects of UV rays. And one that may concern you most is photoaging, a term that describes the premature aging of skin due to the sun's rays.

UVA rays can deeply penetrate the skin (they can cut through glass!) and damage existing collagen, which can increase elastin production. These high levels of elastin lead to the production of certain enzymes that repair the damaged collagen. However, like a double-edged sword, the excess elastin can incorrectly restore the skin. As skin is exposed to the sun on a daily basis, this process keeps repeating, leading to leathery, wrinkled, or crepey skin, where thin skin looks like tissue paper. UVA exposure also causes fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes, forehead, and mouth.

Why is it important to wear sunscreen every day? Sunscreen can delay the premature aging effects of sun exposure. A study comparing daily and discretionary sunscreen users found that those who applied sunscreen everyday had no detectable increase in skin aging after 4.5 years.

4. Reduces Chances of Skin Cancer

Here's another reason why sunscreen is important: too much sun exposure can increase your risk for skin cancer. When UV rays enter your skin cells, they damage the DNA within, which causes changes to the cells, making them divide rapidly and grow and leading to the formation of a tumor or lesion.

Although darker-skinned people have a lower risk for sun-related damage and disease, people of all races and skin color can still get skin cancer. For people of color, skin cancer is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage, when it is harder to treat. To anyone who wonders, "Is applying sunscreen necessary?" we'd say, better safe than sorry. By reflecting UV rays away from the skin or absorbing them, a sunscreen helps prevent genetic damage to cells and mutations responsible for skin cancer.

5. Keeps Your Skin Hydrated

Sun-exposed skin can gradually lose moisture and essential oils and start looking dry and flaky. Certain ingredients in sunscreen offer the added benefit of skin hydration. Hyaluronic acid, for example, helps retain moisture in the skin. Ceramide protects the skin barrier and prevents skin water loss while niacinamide moisturizes the skin by increasing the production of essential skin proteins, which are frequently impaired in individuals with dry skin and eczema.

Sunscreen is essential to maintain youthful skin

Wearing sunscreen daily strengthens your skin's protective barrier. There is a sunscreen for every skin type and a shade to match your skin tone and blend seamlessly with your make-up. Find the right sun protection for your skin and it will be the beginning of a smart investment in your skin health and overall well-being.