By Nikki Wattie, Beauty Editor
Photo by Shan'Ta "Eyewurks" Monroe


July 10, 2010


Atlanta, USA - With heat indexes mounting to about 100 degrees, it’s imperative to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the beaming sun.

Both UVB and UVA rays have the ability to damage your skin horrifically. UVB rays are the rays that contribute to your skin getting sunburned, and UVA rays are those that penetrate deeper into your skin. Long term exposure to the latter can cause wrinkles. Also not using skin protectors when in contact with the sun for extended periods of time can have long term harmful effects on your skin such as a developing skin cancer. So before you decide to step out into the blazing sun make sure that you apply a sunscreen that has SPF listed as one of the ingredients.

More and more cosmetic companies are adding the SPF component in their formulas because of its benefit. SPF which stands for Sun Protection Factor helps protect your skin from becoming blistered and sunburned. There are different levels of SPF, and the higher the filters the longer you can stay in the sun without burning. Keep in mind, although the percentile of SPF elements can range anywhere from 93-97%, the one that has the higher SPF factor doesn’t mean that you will have double protection. You will have a little more protection, but there is only a minimal difference in protection when it comes to the two.

When shopping for sunscreens always read the product labeling to be certain that it has SPF. Another thing to remember when choosing a sunscreen is to choose one that has been dermatologist tested.

The type of sunscreen that you use depends on the type of activities that you will be doing. For example if you plan only to relax in the sun you can go for a simple sunscreen with SPF, but if you plan to do any type of water sports, you want to choose a sunscreen that is water proof. ...

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