In this week's video we're looking at sunscreens it's time to learn how they work what to look out
for what ingredients to look out for how to buy the best sunscreen how they actually work and
loads more information at the end of this video you are going to become a sunscreen pro guaranteed
now i appreciate this is going to be quite a long video because it's going to be jam packed full of
information so if at any point you want to find a specific piece of information then click on that
description below click on the chapter that you like and go to it however i would highly recommend
that you watch the whole video because there's so much to learn let's begin so to begin with
i think that we've all seen sunscreens that come in various different forms such as creams lotions
gels sticks anything that you can really apply onto your body and the whole purpose of them
is to protect you from the damaging effects of the sun now we all enjoy a bit of sunshine from
time to time and being exposed to a certain amount is actually really important for us in order for
our bodies to make vitamin d which is needed for healthy bones but the problem can come from when
we exposed to too much sunlight or for too long without protection and as wonderful as sunlight is
it actually contains a type of radiation called ultraviolet or uv that we cannot see and too
much exposure to this is known to increase your risk to several types of skin cancer including
actinic keratosis basal cell carcinoma melanoma marco cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma
in fact it's believed that there's up to three million non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosis
every single year worldwide which is a massive number and that doesn't just apply
to warm countries by the way cloudy countries cold countries like here in the uk as well
it's believed that about 113 000 skin cancer cases are diagnosed every year which is still a massive
number which is why it's so important that we're using sunscreen that we're using that protection
from those uv rays to protect ourselves and now families and that's probably why you're watching
this video so now let's look at choosing the best sunscreen let's first begin with ingredients
okay when you've got a sunscreen there's two types of ingredients in them one of them
is a physical barrier and the other one is a chemical barrier these are the two different
types they're both effective at protecting you against the sun but they have pros and cons which
i'm going to discuss now so let's begin with the physical ingredients okay such as titanium dioxide
and zinc oxide if you look on the back of the sunscreen in the ingredients list you might see it
there the way they work is they form a physical barrier on the skin so they prevent the uv rays
from getting to the skin they bounce them off and they protect you okay now the good thing about
the physical barrier ingredients is one they work straight away when you apply them and two
they're less likely to cause an allergic reaction or any sort of reaction to the cream
the bad thing about it however is they're not very aesthetically pleasing what i mean by that is when
you apply a physical barrier sunscreen it leaves a white residue on your skin and that's that barrier
that we're talking about if you watch cricket you'll see cricket players wear all the time
their face is usually whitened because of it so that is a physical barrier the other con of it
is that if you're sweating or if you're jumping in the pool or anything like that it does come
off quite easily so you need to reapply quite often now moving on to chemical ingredients and
sunscreens again you're going to look on the back of the bottle these are the kind of ingredients
you're going to see such as avobenzone homozygote oxysalat these are all chemical sunscreens okay
and the way that they work is they absorb those uv rays that we spoke about earlier and they convert
them into heat now the good thing about chemical sunscreens is that they're light to use and they
don't leave that white residue that we had with the physical barriers so they're very light
easy to apply however the bad thing about them is they take 20 minutes to actually work 20
minutes it takes for them to actually work so you need to fight 20 minutes before you go out
before it actually starts to work properly the other bad thing about them is sometimes very
rarely by the way some people are a little bit more allergic to the chemical sunscreens
than they are the physical ones so this is another con event so when looking at sunscreen ingredients
keep these pros and cons in mind if you have quite sensitive or acne-prone skin
or need some protection immediately a physical sunscreen may be better for you but if you're
going out and don't want a white sheen visible a chemical sunscreen may be the best for you there
are also many sunscreens out there that use a mix of both physical and chemical ingredients
now before we move on to the next section i just want to make a quick note please don't be put off
the word chemical sunscreens these have all been trialled and tested they've got loads of research
on them so you've really got nothing to worry about but i just want you to know the different
types of physical and chemical sunscreens it's important that you know that i'm going to leave
more information on these different ingredients in the description below as well if you want more
information now let's move on okay so i feel like we're really starting to get somewhere now we now
know about the ingredients we know about physical and chemical sunscreens but the next thing that
i want to talk to you about is svf and uva star rating and it's no wonder people get so confused
buying sunscreen because there's so many things that you need to be aware of so i'm trying to
do it in a nice order for you so it all goes in let's carry on so remember when we spoke about uv
radiation earlier well there's actually two types so we've got uva which is responsible for skin
aging wrinkles and tanning and we've also got uvb radiation which studies believe is responsible for
sunburn and blistering now the bad news is that both uv radiations both a and b cause skin cancer
so it's super important that we're protected against the two so now that we know a little
more about that let's move back onto spf because now i'm going to relate this together spf stands
for sun protection factor and some protection factor of uvb radiation not uva only uvb radiation
now if you're spending most of your time indoors with only occasional sun exposure for example
driving to and from work or a short walk outside you'll want a sunscreen with at least spf 15.
however if you're going to be spending a lot of time outdoors walking doing activities or working
outside you want a sunscreen with at least spf 30. now it's important to know that these are just the
bare minimums and when it comes to this skin tone can make a massive difference and what i mean by
this is we have something called a fitzpatrick skin type chart and this looks at how fair your
skin is and what spf you should really be using for example if you're type 1 on a fitzpatrick
scale that means that you've got very very fair skin usually have freckles as well very light hair
usually you also burn very very easily so if you're someone who's type 1 you need to be using
an spf 50 minimum now i'm going to leave more information about this in the description below
i'd definitely recommend you have a look at this scale because it's really important you'll also
want to use a higher spf if you're particularly vulnerable to sun damage so this includes
babies and children and anyone with a history of sunburn or skin cancer people with a lot of
freckles or moles immunocompromised individuals and anyone taking medication that increases
your sensitivity to light now this can include common drugs such as antibiotics like doxycycline
lymocycline ciprofloxacin as well as diabetes drugs like glycoside and some water tablets
these are just a few examples by the way there are many more and i would highly recommend that you do
speak to your healthcare professional to tell you if you need to have a higher spf because of the
sensitivity caused by the medication and please please please do bear in mind that children under
the age of six months should never ever be exposed to direct sunlight that's the most important thing
that i really want you to remember now it's a common misconception that the svf relates to how
much longer you can stay out in the sun without burning now let's dive into this a little deeper
yes spf does show how long you can be exposed to the sun but there are so many variables that are
involved that spf doesn't take into account for example how often have you reapplied how much have
you been sweating have you jumped in the pool for example and it's all come off there are so many
different variables even the sun for example like how direct the sun is what time of the day is how
much shade you're getting how much wind factor is how much chill factor all of these can have
a different effect and the spf isn't an accurate science for you to say okay it's spf 30 so i can
last this long in the sun without reapplying this is a flawed method the best way to apply sunscreen
to be on the safe side is reapply every two hours at least every two hours do it more often is even
better but minimum of every two hours okay so we've now got you covered for uvb radiation but
what about uva radiation well when it comes to that you need to look at your uva star rating
now if you're in the uk or if you're in europe all the sunscreens do have this on the back and
it's a star system and it shows you how many stars uva protection it gives now the minimum you should
go for is four star uva but ideally go for five star that's the top one but if you can't find five
four will do so what you want to look out for is the uva seal it's a circular logo usually on the
back of the bottle and it has uva in the middle of it and it usually has the number of stars in there
like i said five stars ideally that's the best but if you can't find it four will do as well now if
you're in the usa they don't technically they don't have the uva seal because it's a european
thing but i've been to the us many times and i've bought sunscreen there many times
and i've always seen the uva seal on the back of it they have something called the pa scale however
and again it works in a similar way to what we've just discussed so to summarize what we're looking
for is a high spf at least 30 however remember the scale that i spoke about earlier and do look
at that and also a high uva scale of at least four stars preferably five stars but if you can't find
it four stars will do that is what we are looking for when we're looking for a sunscreen sometimes
it might not say it either it will say something like broad spectrum sunscreen that is also a
marker that is a high spf and it's got a high uva star okay so i really feel like we're getting
somewhere now we know about the ingredients we know about uva we know about uvb we know about spf
we're really starting to become a bit of a pro out of this but the next question is how do you
choose the best sunscreen for you you're walking down those aisles and you're seeing these creams
lotions sprays sticks whichever gels and you're thinking well which one should i buy don't worry
abraham the pharmacist has got you covered let's go so when applying sunscreen it's recommended
that this is done daily to all areas of exposed skin and this includes your face neck ears
and head and if you're bald or don't have much hair the different formulations out there suit
different areas and different skin types better for example creams are great for use on the face
and are especially useful if you suffer from dry skin creams are thicker and more moisturizing so
they're good for this purpose but might feel heavy to apply to large areas like the rest of your body
for the rest of your body lotions can be really useful for applying large quantities at a time
lotions have a higher water content than creams and this makes them easier to spread and apply
over larger areas like your arms your legs or your entire body sunscreen gels can also be used
on the body as well as the face and as they are water-based they're great option for oily skin
gel sunscreens are less sticky and don't clog your pores as much as heavier formulations
like creams so are one of the best options if you're prone to acne and spot breakouts
now you can also get sunscreens in the form of sticks these can be more useful if you're
traveling or if you don't want it to leak anywhere and they're also useful for hard to reach areas
or places that are difficult to apply for example like under the eyes but please remember if you are
going to use a sunscreen stick it's recommended that you use at least four times back and forth
when you're applying it to get an even spread and the actual amount of coverage that's needed
and lastly you can also get sunscreens in the form of sprays some people feel these are good
for use with children but there are quite a few things you need to keep in mind with them spray
sunscreens can be used on the body only and they should never be used directly on the head hair or
face due to the risk of inhalation and as children never seem to sit still they're a bit like me they
move about everywhere when they're speaking and when you're trying to apply sunscreen on them
ideally the sprays aren't really useful for them i don't like them because of this risk of inhalation
creams are probably a lot better or the lotions like we said are a lot easier to spread on and
even if they're moving about you're not worried about the risk of inhalation really and as with
all aerosols as well you need to be mindful not to use them near open flames and cigarettes as
they can be highly flammable this is something to especially keep in mind if you're applying
sunscreen near an outdoor barbecue and on top of this although spray sunscreens may seem convenient
when they're used properly they should actually be sprayed on the skin and then rubbed in with
your hands to get even coverage and sufficient protection taking all this into account sprays
are not always as convenient as they originally seem but nonetheless they can still be very useful
for some people so that's the pros and cons of the different types of formulations so you've got a
better idea of what to buy but the most important thing is buy what is the most convenient for you
you're the most important person here because you're going to be using it so if you think that's
going to be more convenient for you then go for it now it's great that you're watching this video and
you're interested in using sunscreens but please remember sunscreens don't block 100 of all the uv
radiation so it's super important that you're doing other things as well to protect yourself
and your family from the harmful effects of the sun now in short it's super important that when
you're outside you also follow other measures to stay safe so this includes spending more time in
the shade when the sun is the strongest which in the uk is usually between 11 a.m and 3 p.m
covering with long-sleeve clothing wearing a wide brimmed hat wearing a long skirt or
trousers wearing sunglasses with wrap round lenses and making sure that you never burn now
even when this advice is followed you may end up burning as well you might end up getting sunburn
if you're not following the advice properly not applying your sunscreen properly there's so many
different variables that could happen which is why it's super important if you do get sunburned
that you speak to a healthcare professional make them aware of it so they can help you now mild
sunburn can be treated at home and i do have a video all about this topic already which i will
leave a link to up here and in the description below however it's super important that if you
do get sunburned and you experience any of these sort of symptoms such as blistering headaches
nausea vomiting shivering anything like this at all is indicating a more severe sunburn and you
need to seek medical attention quite urgently and please do remember that repeated sunburn increases
your chance of skin cancer quite drastically so it's super important that you're protected and
you're aware of this third you protect yourself and your family also please keep an eye on any
moles that you've got i do have a video all about moles as well which i will leave a link to up here
and in the description below i'll also leave a bit more information about these malls and what
you need to look out for in the description too which i highly recommend that everyone reads so
that's the end of this week's video thank you for watching i really hope that you found this
information helpful you now know everything you need to know about sunscreens you're a bit of a
sunscreen pro so tell your friends tell your family tell everyone you now know about the
ingredients you now know about the formulations you now know about SPF, UVA, UVB and all the other
things that you can do to reduce your chances of burning so you're a sunscreen pro enjoy the sun
have fun this summer but also remember to stay safe thanks for watching always remember that
you're awesome and i will see you next week hey guys thanks for watching this week's video make
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