How Does Sun Block Work?
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What Causes Sunburn?
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Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are not visible to the naked eye, but have the ability to cause tremendous damage to unprotected skin. Ultraviolet Radiation is part of the solar spectrum and contains two forms of rays: UVA (longer wavelengths that cause more serious damage), and UVB (partially-blocked by the ozone that cause the visual effects of sunburn).
These forms of radiation cause damage to unprotected live cells on the surface of the skin, causing chemical changes in the pigment of the cells that is revealed in the form of suntans or sunburns.
Why is Sun Block necessary?
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Sun block (as opposed to sun screen, which is less dramatic in its protection abilities) intercepts the harmful rays of light from the sun before they reach the skin. This helps to prevent the harmful effects of overexposure to the sun, including permanent sun spots, skin cancer and premature aging.
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How does Sun Block Work?
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Different brands of sun block contain different combinations of ingredients that all work together to minimize the impact of harmful rays of light from the sun. Some of these ingredients will deflect the UV light and others will absorb the UV light and release it as heat. The most effective sun blocks contain ingredients that block both UVA and UVB rays.
Sun blocks labeled "broad spectrum" protection are the most helpful because they don't just target one level of sun damage. Some of the ingredients to look out for in sun block which indicate multi-level protection include Dioxybenzone, Oxybenzone, Sulisobenzone, Titanium Dioxide and Zincoxide.
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