Does Sunscreen actually work?

It all seems very simple when it comes to sunscreen, doesn’t it? You buy a bottle with a high SPF; you rub it all over your skin; you let it sink in. Sorted, right? Well, it might not actually be that easy. Sunscreen is one of the most important items that should be in your luggage if you are going somewhere sunny on vacation. Even if you are at home, on a sunny day, you should be lathering up with sunscreen. It prevents skin cancer and premature signs of aging and most of them will moisturise your skin while they’re at it.

But, not all sunscreens do what they say on the label. While the majority of sunscreens will protect your skin from UVB rays, not many of them will keep you safe from UVA rays. These rays are not absorbed by the ozone layer and can seriously damage your skin. These rays also make up around 90% of all UV radiation so it is important to be protected from them.

If that wasn’t bad enough, a number of commercial sunscreens that are widely available actually contain chemicals with questionable safety records, as discovered by EWG (Environmental Working Group) a non-profit. The FDA (Food and Drug Association) has been rather silent on sunscreens so it has been down to the consumers and EWG to find out the truth about what we are rubbing into our skin.

So, how do you know whether or not your sunscreen is actually doing anything useful once you smear it all over your skin? First, check the SPF number. This relates to how well the sunscreen will protect you from UVB rays, which are highly damaging. This is relatively simple. You might, however, want to understand exactly what an SPF is. The SPF is how long it would take the sun’s harmful rays to redden your skin compared with how long it would take were you to not wear any at all. An example of this is SPF 15, which means it would take 15 times longer for the sun to redden your skin than if you weren’t wearing any sunscreen.

However, be warned – commercial sunscreens do not quite work the way they should on paper. Wearing SPF 50 on a really sunny day could give you a false sense of security by making you think you are fully protected from the sun. The truth is that in ideal lab conditions, SPF will let through about 2% of UV rays. That may not seem much, but when you factor in the fact that we don’t use sunscreen in lab conditions, it can still be a harmful amount.

To verify whether your sunscreen will protect you from UVA rays, you will need to look for the words “broad spectrum” on the label. This indicates that the product contains ingredients within it that will protect you from these other kinds of rays.

There is no definitive answer to the question “does sunscreen actually work”. Some work well and some do very little to protect you from the sun. The best way to avoid permanent skin damage is simply to avoid the sun. Limit you hours of exposure and try to avoid being in the sun between 11am and 3pm.