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In a word, Yes! And everyone should use them. People all have different skin. Sensitivity to the sun and the tendency to burn vary. Some skin rarely burns and tans very easily. Other people are highly prone to burning and will rarely or never tan. It is those folks, the ones who burn easily, who should be concerned about skin cancer and wear sunscreens. Right? Wrong! No matter what type of skin a person has, everyone is at risk of developing skin cancer, or melanoma.

Melanoma isn’t caused only by sunburns. The sun’s light contains two dangerous types of ultra-violet rays. One is UVB. These are the rays that cause the burning. But sunlight also contains ultra-violet A, or UVA, rays. What are these UVA and UVB rays? UVA rays penetrate the deeper into the skin and affect the immune system’s capacity to fight off skin cancer. The cell damage caused with each sunburn is one factor in increasing cancer and the attack on the immune system is another.

Just because you aren’t actually burning, the risk is still there. Every time you are exposed to the sun, you are exposed to these ultra-violet rays. Sunscreens are made to block out the UVA and UVB rays. Applying a sun block is important no matter how much time you will be spent in the sun, not just if you plan to be outside for a long time or lying at the beach.

This includes walking to and from your car! Even spending a few minutes in the sun will contribute to the risk. While UVB rays, those that cause the skin to burn, cannot penetrate glass, UVA rays CAN. This means that even when you are sitting inside, you are still exposing your skin to harmful sun rays.

If you question this, consider ‘driver’s arm.’ This is the occurrence of a person having one arm tanner than the other. This arm is not red, or burned; it is tan. Even a very fair-skinned person whose skin won’t normally tan will have this happen. It is from sun coming in the car window. The burning UVB rays are not getting through the glass but the skin-penetrating UVA rays are. These rays are actually just as harmful than those that cause the burn.

Sunscreens offer a different “SPF.” What is that exactly? SPF (Sun Protection Factor) calculates the amount of time it will take a person to burn while wearing the sunscreen by comparing it to how long it would take that same person to burn without the sunscreen. Wearing an SPF 10 for example, will give 10x the time. In other words, if you would normally burn in 10 minutes with no sunscreen, an SPF 10 will give you 100 minutes. This is a just one and a half hours.

So how do you select a sunscreen? Look for products that provide protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Key ingredients you will want in your sunscreen are: Avobenzone, Cinoxate, Ecamsule, Menthyl anthranilate, Octyl methoxycinnamate, Octyl salicylate, Oxybenzone, Sulisobenzone, Titanium dioxide, or Zinc oxide.

Doing all you can to avoid sun exposure is pivotal to lowering the risk of skin cancers. It is best to wear a hat, keep your skin covered and try to find shade when you can! For times when you can’t, wear sunscreens!

When you go outside into the sun for a long period of time, make sure you apply sunscreen. Sunscreens will help protect the skin. Remember to research it and find the best for the ultimate protection.

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