The Truth About Sunscreen
June 10th, 2019
Melanoma in NZ
New Zealand has high rates of skin cancer which are still on the rise – in the early 2000s, about 250 people died each year from melanoma; by 2013 the number had increased to 489. The best protection against skin cancer is to stay out of the sun, however, that isn’t always possible so it’s important to find skin protection that protects you as much as possible.
There are many sunscreen brands on the market, so how know which you can trust to deliver on its promises? Many sunscreen brands fail the most basic test – protecting us from the sun as much as they claim to do. In fact, almost half of the major brands have been tested by Consumer NZ and were found lacking. Those that claim to be ‘natural’ seem to be the biggest culprits and many have been pulled from the shelves.
How does sunscreen work…??
Being in the sun exposes your skin to both UVA and UVB rays. UVA penetrates deeply into the skin and causes wrinkles and age spots, while UVB causes the skin to redden and is the main culprit when it comes to sunburn. A sunscreens SPF factor is a measure of how it protects you against UVB rays – its sun protection factor. While sunscreen that is a broad spectrum filters out both UVA and UVB radiation. But remember, sunscreen should be used to decrease exposure to UV radiation, not to increase the amount of time you can spend in the sun.
But what do the SPF numbers mean???
An SPF15 sunscreen that’s properly applied is meant to give you 15 times the protection you’d get with unprotected skin. This means if you were in the sun with unprotected skin for 10 minutes, then SPF15 would give you 150 minutes of protection. For SPF30 sunscreen that time would extend to 300 minutes and for SPF50 it would be 500 minutes. These times vary from person to person because of skin type, activities (such as heavy exercise or swimming) and how well the sunscreen is applied. No sunscreen blocks 100% of UV rays: SPF15 blocks 93% of UVB, SPF30 blocks 97%, and SPF50 blocks 98%.
Everyday allmedic Sun Protection Range
The allmedic skincare range was developed by an award-winning team of doctors and dermatologists who all specialise in skin cancer and skin repair. Due to the high concentration of active ingredients, allmedic is only available through trained professionals.
The allmedic sun protection 50 + SPF face & body moisturising sunscreen offers broad spectrum protection against dangerous UVA and UVB radiation. The combination is photo stable, resulting in even greater protection. The static SPF is 80.
allmedic sun protection 50 + SPF face & body moisturising sunscreen also has the added benefits of helping to improve the skins elasticity, texture, tone & appearance, providing basic moisturisation, dry skin relief and anti-inflammatory properties and it helps to reduce the appearance of skin pigmentation. The allmedic sun protection 50 + sunscreen can be worn under makeup and leaves no ghosting on the skin.
Contact us
If you aren’t sure about which sunscreen to choose, come in and speak to our friendly Doctors and Nurses about the award winning allmedic skincare range. Products that are only available through trained medical professionals. allmedic products are only available at a small number of clinics in NZ, including the Upper Hutt Health Centre.