2023-07-01 10:00:01
The sun can be responsible for carcinomas, melanomas and premature aging of the skin. It is essential to protect yourself, especially with a sunscreen adapted to your skin. Explanations.
The rays of soleil are essentially composed of ultraviolet A rays and ultraviolet B rays. UVB penetrates the superficial layer of the skin and is responsible for sunburn, as well as a large part of skin cancer (melanoma, carcinoma). When exposed to the sun, especially on the beach, it is important to protect yourself from these rays with clothing and/or sunscreen.
What is SPF?
SPF is the sun protection factor of a cream, sun protection factor in English. It is classified into four categories:
weak protection, from 6 to 10;
medium protection, from 15 to 25;
high protection, from 30 to 50;
very high protection, 50 and more.
This index is calculated according to the percentage of filtered UVB rays. Thus, an index of 15 blocks regarding 95% of the rays, an index of 30, 96.7% of the rays and an index of 50, 98% of the rays. These differences seem small but make a big difference to the health of your skin.
Know your phototype
You will have to choose your sunscreen according to your phototype (categorization of skin types). The WHO refers to the Fitzpatrick scale which identifies six different phototypes. The classification goes from phototype I, very white skin, blond or red hair, blue/green eyes (no tan but sunburn) to phototype VI – black skin, black hair, black eyes (never sunburn).
Logically, the weaker the phototype, the more protection you need from the sun, in particular by choosing a high and very high protection sunscreen. But “even with a high phototype, it is recommended to apply sun protection gestures because no one is immune to developing skin cancer”, however specifies the National Cancer Institute.
In addition, still according to this institute, the following aggravating factors require increased vigilance:
a history of sunburn;
skin cancers in the family;
numerous freckles and moles;
immunosuppression;
a lifestyle requiring prolonged exposure to the sun;
the fact of having lived for a long time in a place very exposed to the sun.
And for the children?
Before the age of two, avoid exposing a child to the sun as much as possible. “Childhood sun exposure is the leading cause of skin cancers in adulthood “, justifies Public Health France. Until adolescence, children’s skin is thinner and less pigmented, which makes it vulnerable to the deleterious effects of UV rays.
Thus, for a child, it will always be necessary to choose an SPF 50 + sunscreen. Finally, according to the UFC-Que Choisir guide, published in 2018, creams stamped “children” would contain fewer allergens. “It therefore seems that manufacturers are making sure to offer safer formulas for their ranges intended for the little ones”, specifies the consumer union.
And the environment?
According to the Foundation for Nature and Man (FNH), 25,000 tonnes of sunscreen are dumped into the seas and oceans each year, or 0.8 liters per second. No less than 4,000 tonnes of sunscreen residue threaten 10% of the world’s coral reefs. Under their effects, they turn white and eventually die.
To protect the oceans, the NGO recommends reading labels carefully and proscribing the following chemical components: ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), benzophenone-3 (or oxybenzone), homosalate and butylparaben and finally, octocrylene.
The foundation also recommends the use of mineral filters instead of chemical filters, the effects of which are deleterious to the environment. However, some of these creams contain nanoparticles suspected of being endocrine disruptors.
Protective for the skin or non-toxic for the ocean, the perfect sunscreen probably doesn’t exist yet. “To choose your cream well, do not hesitate to consult the in-depth tests carried out by certain consumer associations”, advises FNH.
Note: to protect its corals, in 2018 the State of Hawaii banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, i.e. more than 70% of the sunscreens available on the market.
1688218335
#choose #sunscreen
