Sunscreens, which have become a basic necessity for many people today, can cause confusion for those who are undecided whether to use them or not. Could we be doing more harm to ourselves by applying an unnatural substance to our body to prevent skin cancer caused by harmful sun rays?
“Someone clear this up!” We seem to hear those who curse. So, without wasting any time, let’s look at the truth of the matter together.
This man, whom many of us come across with the headline “Truck driver, whose face is constantly hit by the left side of the sun” on social media, may seem like a fake Facebook post, but it’s not!
This man in the photo is a 28-year-old truck driver and has worked on the same line for years. In this line, the sun always hit from the left side. Thus, years later, we witnessed an experiment that was done without realizing it. We were able to see the damage of the sun to our skin with one of the most striking examples.
Sun rays do more damage to our skin and health than we imagine.
The Sun’s most easily accessible ray, UV-A, is powerful enough to change our genes. So when you sunbathe, not only does your skin get tanned, but harmful rays play with your genes.
We can also explain as follows; the rays reach the cells in your skin and kill them. Unaware that we are trying to get a tan and beautify, our body is trying with all its might to renew the dead cells. Blood rushes to the burned areas and our veins expand, and the color of our skin darkens as the blood accumulates.
Besides; Every time the sun’s rays meet and burn our skin, we accelerate our physical aging process. The rays, which can reach the lowest layers of our skin, also damage the tissues that will already deteriorate when we age. In a way, it accelerates the aging process.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as ‘harmless tanning’.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, you can’t tan healthily no matter what you use. Every time you tan, it brings you a little closer to skin cancer. Yes; Sunscreens can prevent the damage from the rays to a great extent, but remember that none of them offer 100% protection.
One question on everyone’s mind; Do sunscreens keep us away from skin cancer, or are they more cancerous?
Before answering this question, let’s take a look at the types of sunscreens:
- Chemical sunscreens: They consist of organic molecules and generally have higher protection.
- Physical sunscreens: They consist of inorganic molecules (minerals) and have lower protection than chemical sunscreens.
The difference in nomenclature, especially the word “chemical”, may worry you. However, it can be understood that it is only a name and that chemical sunscreens are composed of organic molecules. In addition to this, today’s perception of “organic is good, chemical is bad” completely serves capitalism, but let this be the subject of our other content.
It’s true that sunscreens can get into our blood to some extent, but it’s the level that matters.
It does not mean that every chemical that enters our blood will harm us. In order for the chemicals in sunscreens to harm us, we need to apply them to our skin continuously for at least 200 years. In short, fear the sun, not the cream!
So which sunscreen should we use?
You should choose the type of cream you should choose according to your skin type (sensitive, oily, dry, etc.). Regardless of the type, if you are looking for the best cream that will protect you from the harmful rays of the sun, you do not need to look for the most expensive one.
You can get maximum efficiency when you choose any cream with a minimum SPF of 30, a maximum of 50 and have UV-A and UV-B protection, and apply it liberally every 2 hours and renew it!
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