What You Don't Know About Various Skin Types and SPF
The skin is the largest organ in your body. It is also the one that most people notice upon seeing you for the first time. Hence, here are the things you should know about different skin types and SPF.
The Main Battle Against The Sun
Regardless of the color, skin responds when there is a repeated exposure of it to the sun. This reaction would manifest by becoming tough and thick. Hence, you can get an end product of having wrinkled and leathery skin just after adulthood's middle years. Obviously, the sun is your number one enemy in getting great looking skin. Another obvious fact is that there is no way for you to avoid the sun, unless you plan on staying inside forever without any kind of sunlight exposure. Nevertheless, there is still hope for you and everyone else who wants to take care of their skin.
Get Some Protection
Getting some protection when exposing yourself to the sun would be just the thing that you need to maintain a healthy skin. Use a sunscreen product that has some degree of UV ray protection. The degree of protection that you can get would be listed as the SPF concentration.
SPF is short for 'Sun Protection Factor'. You can spot it as a number listed on a sunscreen product's bottle or label. There are various types of SPFs. There are types that protect you from UVA radiation. There are also types that protect you from UVB radiation, which is the number one cause of skin burning. However, to maximize your use of your SPF sunscreen lotion, it is best that you get one that can protect you from both UVA and UVB radiation.
What The Number Means
When you are looking at SPF ratings, you will encounter numbers connected to the letters 'SPF'. For instance, you can encounter 'SPF 15' or 'SPF10', etc. This SPF rating listed on your product's label actually refers to the least amount of UVB rays required for that product so that your skin would turn red after its application, versus how long until bare skin would redden.
Although the computation may seem to be something like rocket science, it is not. It is pretty simple actually. Basically, the number would be your indicator on how much longer you can last being exposed under the sun with the sun protection product on your skin without getting burned.
For instance, if you normally burn in 12 minutes when exposed to the sun, then you should apply a product that has at least SPF 15. Hence, it would mean that you'd be all right for 15 times your average length of protection time. Hence, you can be protected for about 3 hours from sun exposure.
Skin Types
It is also important for you to know the various skin types. This is because it would be your basis of choosing the level of SPF that you should get. Here are the common skin types and corresponding SPF ratings. If you have children in the family, it is also important to protect their delicate skin. If they are already 6 months and above use baby products that have at least SPF 15. This would be enough to protect them from burning and tanning.
1) Very Fair
If your skin is very fair, then it would burn more quickly. You rarely get a tan, but instead get burnt. It is best that you get a product that is SPF 20-30.
2) Fair
This type almost usually burns easily. There are times that you can tan but not in a high level. Products that have SPF 12-20 would be best.
3) Light
This type burns under the moderate range. You can experience gradual tanning in which you get to have a light brownish shade. SPF 8-12 would be best for you.
4) Medium
Medium types could burn minimally. A somewhat moderate brown shade is achieved when tanning, which happens most of the time. An SPF of 4-8 is recommended.
5) Dark
Burning is something that you should not worry about if this is your skin type. You get to tan big time and end up with a dark brown skin tone. It's recommended that you use sunscreen products that have SPF 2-4.