In the 1960s and 1970s, although sunscreen was indeed available to the general public in many local stores and larger superstores, people across the United States and in other countries in the Western world simply did not understand the damage the sun can do to skin.

From smothering their legs in vegetable oil to rubbing fresh lemon juice over their arms, people who were teenagers in the ‘60s are now facing problems with their skin, namely due to the damage sunbathing has caused over the years.

With this in mind, continue reading to learn why sunscreen is definitely not just for a vacation.

Some Key Statistics

Before you delve into a detailed justification as to why you should be wearing sunscreen every day, consider the following statistics.

Skin cancer is by far the most common form of cancer and around 9,550 American citizens are diagnosed with skin cancer every single day. The current professional estimates reflect that in their lifetime, approximately one in five Americans will develop skin cancer.

The Truly Damaging Effects of the Sun on Your Skin

You will, no doubt, feel positively inundated by information regarding just how important it is to wear adequate sunscreen, but you may well not be aware of just how many severe and even life-threatening health issues the sun can create.

As a way of simplifying the risks, take in the following most common problems with too much exposure to the sun, or more importantly, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays:

  • Long-term pigment changes
  • Skin cancer
  • Severe dehydration
  • Heat stroke
  • Migraines
  • Hives

How to Choose the Right Sunscreen for Your Skin

Now you are fully aware of the supreme importance of protecting your skin, not just on your face but across your entire body, from the sun’s rays, it’s time to move on to choosing the right sunscreen for you.

It would be pertinent to point out, at this particular conjecture, that organic face sunscreen is one of the best choices for not only protecting your skin but also nourishing and moisturizing it too.

The most important element of a good-quality sunscreen is the SPF (the Sun Protection Factor) of the product, which essentially represents how much UVB light the cream will filter away from your skin. Additionally, make sure that your sunscreen contains either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and has no trace of Vitamin A.

How Sunscreen Works

Knowing and understanding the basic science behind sunscreen will make you more inclined to remember to use it.

If you wear foundation, have a look at the bottle and see if your make-up contains SPF; if it does, you are already doing something to protect the thin skin on your face from harm. However, sunscreen is still essential.

Basically, sunscreen works by both absorbing and blocking the sun’s UV rays using its makeup of chemical and physical particles, the latter of which help reflect the radiation away from the skin. Sunscreen also changes the UV energy into heat, which is one of the many reasons why wearing a thick layer of sunscreen never affects the enjoyment level of the sun.