by Sandra Oertell
Guest Poster
As soon as summer approaches, you are bombarded with ads about SPF. What it means to you is important, so ask yourself if you really understand what it is, what it does, and if it is necessary for maintaining the health of your skin.
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and is always followed by a number that was determined by exposing people to the equivalent of the sun at high noon. The control group in these trials wore no skin protection, and the others wore sunscreen. They then divided the amount of light that induced redness in sunscreen users, by the amount of light that induced redness in those that wore no protection. The numbers, which range anywhere from 1 to 50 actually tell you how much UVB (ultraviolet B rays) protection you are going to get from this product.
However, there are other factors that should be considered aside from the amount of time you spend in the sun. Other factors that should be included are what time of the day you were exposed to the rays, your location (you will burn faster if you are at a high altitude or close to the equator), and what the weather conditions are. Don’t fool yourself into believing that if you do not feel hot and sweaty, you aren’t going to burn!
Mail this postPopularity: 1% [?]
Tags: SPF, SPF - What it Means to You, Sun Protection Factor
