Suncreen

Today most people are aware of at least some of the damaging effects that sunlight has on the skin. In addition to painful sunburns, excessive exposure to the sun can cause sun damage that prematurely ages the skin, causes blemishes, and greatly increases the risk of various types of skin cancer. Unfortunately, although we know protecting uncovered skin is important, with a large variety of sunscreens, it can be difficult to determine how to best protect yourself.

The Sun’s Damaging Rays

When it comes to avoiding sunburn and sun damage, the form of sunlight we’re most concerned with are invisible waves of ultraviolet light classified as UVA and UVB.
What's the difference between UVA and UVB rays? UVA rays cause your skin to wrinkle and age faster (UVA = aging) while UVB rays cause your skin to tan and sunburn (UVB = burning). UVB rays are also responsible for the majority of skin cancers. Both UV rays work in conjunction and cause severe damage to your skin when it's overexposed to the sun.

All Sunscreens are NOT created equal

It is important to always opt for a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB. If your sunscreen does not say broad spectrum it likely has no or very little UVA protection. Having a good quality, properly formulated sunscreen is the number one prevention product for anti aging. The Obagi skin health systems offer two broad spectrum sunscreens, both of superior quality and performance.

The effectiveness of your sunscreen will depend both on how well you apply it and the protective ingredients in the sunscreen.