SPF 101: Myths and Facts That You Need to Know About Sunscreen This Summer

June is only a few days away and as we all embark and plan out our summer vacations – I figured it was the perfect time for this post!

When I had the opportunity to fly to Cincinnati last August, to visit the OLAY Labs, on our first day in the opening presentation, Olay’s head scientist, Frauke, started off with a little True or False Quiz pertaining to our knowledge on SPF. To be completely honest, I thought I knew my stuff pretty well but was truly SHOOK to learn just how little I really knew. So right then and there, I started writing everything down that was on her slides, so that I could share it all with you!!

Personally, skincare and actively taking steps to protect my skin from the sun is a new development in my life. I spent my high school and college years baking in tanning beds and could easily layout in the sun for hours during the summertime. It wasn’t until after graduating from college that I started to take an interest in skincare and started to learn the proper ways to protect my skin. Aka – I basically had a quarter life crises about getting old and developing wrinkles lol.  So this is your heads-up that I am not a skincare expert! I’m just a girl, who unfortunately fried her skin majority of her young adult years and is trying to do her best to take care of her skin from here on out.

So without further ado….

THE MYTHS AND FACTS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPF

Myth: How old your skin looks is mostly determined by genetics.

Fact: The sun is the #1 cause of visible signs of aging with pollution and cigarettes following quickly after. While your genes do play a factor in terms of when your skin will begin to wrinkle, your choices, like not wearing SPF protection daily, is what will have the biggest impact.

• SPF 15:  90% of Burning Rays Blocked
• SPF 30: 97% of Burning Rays Blocked
• SPF 50: 98% of Burning Rays Blocked

Myth: All Sunscreens are the same.

Fact: All sunscreens are not the same. Just because something says that it has SPF in it does not mean it’s fully protecting you. When looking for sunscreen, always make sure that you are choosing one that says “Broad-Spectrum” on it. An SPF that is labeled with “broad-spectrum” is the only one that can effectively protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays – which are the most damaging and dangerous rays produced by the sun.

Myth: A Sunscreen with a really high SPF will last all day.

Fact: Sunscreen must be reapplied every two hours – no matter the SPF. Especially if you are spending time outdoors for a long period of time and should always be reapplied after sweating or swimming.

Myth: If your make-up already has sunscreen in it, you don’t need to apply a separate product with SPF.

Fact: Some cosmetic products do contain SPF. However, to help protect your skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays, SPF 15 (at the minimum) with Broad-Spectrum and should be applied over all parts of the face and neck.

Myth: Wearing makeup with SPF 15 + a Moisturizer with SPF 30 = SPF 45

Fact: Your skin is only protected by the highest amount of SPF that you put on. So if you put on both an SPF 15 and an SPF 30 then the highest amount your skin will be protected by is the SPF 30.

Myth: Water-proof Sunscreens are the way to go!

Fact: Sunscreens that are labeled as waterproof (or sweat-proof) are exaggerating the properties of what sunscreen can do. No sunscreen product can be 100 percent waterproof. Even if you are using a water-resistant sunscreen, one must always reapply after water exposure and allow the sunscreen to settle on the skin for at least 10 to 15 minutes before going in the water.

Myth: If it’s cloudy and you’re indoors all day, you don’t need sunscreen.

Fact: The sun’s rays are so powerful that not only will they penetrate through the clouds but your windows as well! Your skin always needs protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays, even when you don’t think you are getting sun exposure.