The Dreaded Truth about Sunscreens

As much as we all love sun exposure and praise its beneficial effects on our health, the truth that many of us still ignore - or refuse to believe - is that the sun can be a deadly enemy, particularly during the summer. Many of the common beliefs regarding the sun, things that we regard as absolute certainties and which make us act accordingly, are no more than myths or half-truths. The Daily Mail enlisted the help of a top British dermatologist to help clear out a few points and here is what they uncovered.

First of all, how many of you know that sun damage to the skin begins from your childhood? If we had a lot of sun exposure as children, we may have latent cancers under the skin and we need to protect ourselves a lot more now that we have grown into responsible adults, particularly since further exposure to sunlight can activate those latent cancers. Another uncomfortable truth is that the SPF system only measures the amount of protection we get against UVB rays (which are responsible for causing burning), not against the UVA rays, which means that we're often lulled into a false sense of security.

As a result, even if we chose a sunscreen with a high SPF factor and we don't burn our skin, we're still exposed to the damaging effects of the UVA radiation, which can damage our DNA and cause skin cancer. UVA protection is measured by a separate star rating system, so pick a product that has at least a four star rating on this scale, along with a high SPF index. Also, keep in mind that even sunscreen has its limits, and those among you with a pale skin can burn in an hour or less, even with a good sunscreen on. And a final point: it's best to invest in good-quality suntan lotion rather than imagine that you can "fix" the damage of too much sun exposure with after-sun products. As the old saying goes, it's better to prevent than to treat.