WHO SHOULD WEAR SUNSCREEN?
WE have seen many sports men and women giving their best shot and spending hours in the fields where they are exposed to the harsh elements of the weather. While we are well versed that the health and fitness of the sportsperson is the key to their success, we seldom think of preserving the health of the largest organ of the human body, the skin; even if it’s our own skin. Some of us may even hasten to say that information on skin care products are not for men; it’s more a woman’s thing. I would like to explain this week that with regards to the exposure to the sun, gender and age are not factors which deter someone from sunburn, wrinkles and worse of all skin cancer.

Now that you know that skin care and more specifically sunscreen is a product for all persons, let’s see if you can answer the following question correctly:
•    What is the difference between sunscreen and sunblock?
•    What do you look for when purchasing a sunscreen?
•    What does SPF mean?
•    Can you say that the higher the SFP the better the sunscreen?
•    Which UVR (ultraviolet radiation) do you require protection from? UVA or UVB.
•    When do you need to wear sunscreen?
•    How often do you reapply sunscreen and how much do you use?
•    What does the comprehensive sun protection program recommend?

At the end of this article you would have at least known the answer to the above eight (8) questions which I encourage you to share with friends and family especially the younger ones thus preventing sign of early aging or wrinkles for the next generation.

What is the difference between sunscreen and sunblock?
No sunscreen gives you 100% protection from the sun’s radiation. Hence the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) deliberately desisted from using the term “sunblock” since it can mislead consumers by giving a false sense of protection. However both terms have been used very loosely in the past, before the revision by the FDA and recommendation for more stringent labelling.

What do you look for when purchasing a sunscreen?
There is in excess of one thousand sunscreen products manufactured but in Guyana we may see just a handful of these. The Skin Cancer Foundation of America, one of the pioneers that lobbied for better standards has endorsed in excess of five hundred products which met the FDA revised requirements. In choosing the right sunscreen you should get protection from UVB radiation, which is translated by the acronym SPF (sun protection factor or soon to be referred to as sunburn protection factor). But this is not enough since it was found protection against UVA radiation is absolutely necessary as well since both UVA and UVB causes skin cancer. So the product must show protection against UVA radiation ranked lowest to highest.

Also, the product should be water resistant where protection continues even after towelling off perspiration or water from swimming.

What does SPF mean?
SPF is an acronym meaning “sun protection factor” or “sunburn protection factor”. This is represented by a number ranging from 2 to above 50 and usually measures protection against the UVB radiation ONLY. UVB does superficial damage to the skin resulting in the visible signs of sunburn which is redness, itching and scaling. It is also a factor for skin cancer.

Can you say that the higher the SFP the better the sunscreen?
The answer is no. The lowest SPF is 2 and what this means is that you can be in the sun twice as long before starting to get sunburn. So if the maximum exposure to sun is 20 minutes before sunburn sets in then you can spend 40 minutes if you apply a sunscreen with SPF 2. Likewise SPF 30 does not give you twice the protection compared to SPF 15. According to tests SPF 15 filters 93% UVB radiation compared to 97% with a SPF 30 sunscreen. SPF 50 gives 98% protection.

Which UVR (ultraviolet radiation) do you require protection from? UVA or UVB.
Both. UVA radiation causes damage to the dermis or the underlying layer of the skin which can cause cancer and aging. UVB does superficial or surface level damage as explained earlier. Hence you need a sunscreen to give you almost complete protection from both types of ultraviolet radiation (UVR).
When do you need to wear sunscreen?
Once you are expected to be in the sun for more than 20 minutes it is advised that you apply sunscreen. You may not be playing sports, jogging, riding or swimming but simply running errands which you do every day. Ladies can use moisturisers with UV protection under their make up in the mornings before going out. Certain outdoor workers like taxi drivers, police men and women, market vendors, mail delivery persons and sales persons etc. should also wear sunscreen.
The areas most likely to get maximum exposure to the sun are the face, ears, hands and arms. Lips also get sunburn and as seen in the photo above the cricketer wears a lip balm; these usually moisturises and protect from the sun since it contains contains SPF 15.

How often do you reapply sunscreen and how much do you use?
Every two (2) hours you are expected to reapply sunscreen especially if you are perspiring and even though it is water resistant. A liberal amount is applied to the face which gets the most sun exposure. The rest of the body will get an amount equivalent to about two (2) teaspoon at each application.

What does the comprehensive sun protection program recommend?
The sun’s brilliant radiation is experienced between between 10am to 2pm.Hence plan your activities outside of this time zone if possible. However apart from sunscreen you can wear lip balm to protect your lips and clothing and a wide brim hat to cover the body and face respectively. You should wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.

Although we don’t see the worse of the sun damage in Guyana resulting in skin cancer because we have people of colour, we certainly see sunburn and wrinkles. However these tips can certainly come in handy especially for the younger generation since we know that climate change is inevitable and we should start addressing our minds to the health issues surrounding this change.

For further advice consult the pharmacist at Medicine Express PHARMACY located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets. If you have any queries, comments or further information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg.
Tel #225-5142.