Sunscreen: Effect, Uses & Risks

Sunscreens are designed to be applied to the skin and protect against UV rays and resulting skin reactions, such as redness, blistering and premature aging.

What is sunscreen?

The primary purpose of sunscreen is to protect the skin all over the body from harmful UV rays. In common parlance, preparations such as suntan lotion, suntan gel and suntan oil are also grouped under the term sunscreen. In addition, sunscreen is considered merely a useful additional protection to prevent sunburns and the resulting skin diseases. In addition to the use of sunscreen, avoiding extended sunbathing and wearing clothing and headgear is considered useful, as sunscreen offers only limited protection against damage from the sun’s rays. Therefore, it is also particularly important to apply the cream at regular intervals and over a large area. In addition, the majority of all commercially available sun creams are only effective half an hour after application. Incidentally, many sun creams lose their effect at midday, when UV radiation is at its strongest. Thus, between 11 o’clock in the morning and 14 o’clock in the afternoon, you should primarily stay in the shade.

Application, benefits and use

The primary purpose of sunscreen is to protect the skin all over the body from harmful UV rays. Human skin can only protect itself to a certain extent – this self-protection depends on the genetically determined skin type and previous damage to the skin from sun exposure. Thus, it is used mainly in the hot summer months, as well as in winter at higher altitudes. If one does not use sunscreen, skin damage may occur immediately on the one hand and later on the other hand. Skin changes that occur immediately after sunburn include sunburn, redness, blistering and the typical pain felt when burned. Skin changes that usually develop after years of unprotected sun exposure include pigmentation disorders, wrinkling, and malignant skin cancer. Furthermore, sun creams are also used to protect the skin from dehydration. When exposed to high temperatures, wind and water, a lot of moisture is removed from the skin. For this reason, many sun creams contain fatty substances, such as fatty acids, glycerin, silicone oils and also antioxidants. These help the skin to protect and regenerate itself.

Herbal, natural and pharmaceutical sunscreens.

Sunscreens come in a wide variety of types, with chemical sunscreen products being the most commonly found in stores. Chemical sunscreens include, for example, the classic suntan lotion. It contains additives that protect and care for the skin. Sun sprays have the advantage that they are quickly absorbed and can be easily spread on the skin. Sun gels also belong to the chemical sun protection preparations. Sun gels without greasy ingredients are particularly suitable for people with sensitive skin that is prone to allergies and dehydration. However, there are now also some natural sunscreens. These have a mineral light protection instead of a chemical one, which is guaranteed by zinc oxide or titanium oxide. These natural sun creams have a medium to high sun protection factor. Vegetable sunscreens are mostly oil-based and therefore have a very low sun protection factor. This type of sunscreen is often mixed with natural essential oils, such as vanilla extract, and shea butter is also often found in plant-based creams and lotions. However, sunscreens differ not only because of their ingredients; the sun protection factor also varies. Sunscreens are available with sun protection factors of 50+, 50, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10 and 6.

Risks and side effects

Sunscreens can cause side effects if they are intolerant or used incorrectly. The most common overreaction of sunscreens are changes in the skin. These irritations include, for example, mild to severe itching, sun allergies, pimples and blisters, and redness of the skin. These side effects most often occur when using a sunscreen that contains preservatives, fragrances and dyes and can be avoided by using herbal products.Furthermore, the use of sun creams can lead to disturbances of the calcium balance. In addition, sunscreens can only be effective if the correct sun protection factor is chosen and the skin is applied often enough.