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Sunblock Information

Sunblock Information thumbnail
SPF ratings indicate the amount of UVB protection.

Sunblocks and sunscreens protect the skin from the sun’s burning, aging and cancer-causing ultraviolet rays. UVA and UVB are two types of ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, a product’s sun protection factor (SPF) rating indicates the relative protection from skin reddening caused by UVB rays only. Does this Spark an idea?

  1. Types of Sunscreens

    • According to the American Melanoma Foundation, chemical sunscreens contain ingredients, such as amino benzoic acid or octinoxate, that protect the skin by absorbing ultraviolet radiation. Physical sunscreens, commonly called sunblocks, contain substances such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that physically block harmful UV rays.

    Sun-protection Factor

    • SPF numbers indicate how effectively a product screens or blocks out UVB rays. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, no sunscreen totally blocks UVB, but proper use of products with SPF ratings of 15, 30 and 50 filter out 93, 97 and 98 percent of UVB, respectively.

    SPF Limitations

    • SPF ratings are of limited value because they apply only to UVB radiation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to develop a method for measuring UVA protection. The Cancer Foundation recommends choosing broad-spectrum sunscreens containing UVA-protective ingredients such as avobenzone, mexoryl, oxybenzone, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, in addition to the SPF-rated, UVB-protective ingredients.

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