You scream, I scream, we all scream for Suncream!

Sunscreen is arguably the most important part of skincare. Scratch that, it is the most important part of skincare.

Let’s talk all about SPF.

Sunscreen isn’t only a “one-time” “directly-in-the-scorching-sun” type of product. Contrary to popular usage, you need to wear it on all your sun-exposed areas including your face, décolletage, and hands every day.

Any skin treatments you undertake can be rendered ineffective if regular SPF use isn’t implemented. This is an essential habit that we need to instill to prevent UV damage in our skin cells. Cell damage over time manifests as: premature photoaging, worsening of dark spots like PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and melanoma), reduced elasticity and deep wrinkles.

What about my natural occurring melanin? It’s that it’s job?!!

Yes, your melanin or rather eumelanin (excuse the bad joke) is one of the best things ever. It’s the type of melanin that produces brown and black pigments, whereas pheomelanin produces red and yellow pigments. Everyone has melanin receptors, and our complexions are determined by how many melanocytes are stimulated by an enzyme called tyrosinase. Some people have more pheomelanin than eumelanin giving a paler complexion in their skin and hair. While some have more eumelanin thus are darker haired and deeper complected. The lighter your Fitzpatrick skin type (I-III) the more susceptible you are to burning and tanning. The darker (IV-VI) the more susceptible to irregular pigmentation.

As much grief as they cause cosmetically, dark spots are our body’s way of building back better in a relatively short time span. Let’s paint a picture, say an inflammatory response is caused by a brand new pulsating, painful zit. Lovely, I know! As your body heals the blemish, the dark spot develops to protect the once raw, vulnerable skin and newly formed scar tissue from further damage from UV rays. Darker pigment means better UV absorption for the repaired skin cells.

Decoding the Bottle: Broad Spectrum, PA++++

Different sunscreens from around the world have different ratings, formulas and governing bodies to rigorously test the formulas and determine their effectiveness at protecting the skin from UV. In Australia, sunscreen is highly regulated and is a public health concern since the depletion of the o-zone in the region has made certain populations more susceptible to skin cancer. South Korea also has extremely good sunscreen formulas that use more advanced filters than in Western countries, but since sunscreen is at the crux of cosmetiseuticals and public health, there’s been slower adoptions of newer, extremely effective filters found in K-Beauty.

UV Filters: There are two main filters: chemical and mineral. You can also see these expressed as organic and inorganic by dermatologists and in scientific publications. Both formulas are effective at blocking UV in different ways. Chemical sunscreens work by chemically converting UV into heat on your skin which is then dispersed. Common filters include: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. Mineral sunscreen made of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide work by sitting on top of your skin and physically blocking out the UV. Sometimes mineral sunscreen’s leave a white cast on more eumelanin rich complexions. We all know the ghostly blue-gray film, so sometimes chemical sunscreens are preferred as they blend in more seamlessly. Whether a sunscreen works for your skin can also depend on skin type, weather conditions such as humidity and formulation. If you are on the oilier side, you can opt for a watery gel-based formula and if you are drier go for a cream with more emollients.

Application: Two Finger Rule

The general guidelines on sunscreen application is half a tablespoon of product. This roughly translates to two fingers worth of sunscreen, usually the length of your index and middle finger. This should be evenly spread out on your face and neck. Add one more finger’s length for your shoulder tops and another for your hands. It may seem excessive but if you regularly wear body lotion and moisturizer, you can absolutely wear sunscreen. K-Beauty offers some great options for both facial and body UV defense products.

SPF ratings: 15, 30, 50, 100+

The recommendation is to wear an SPF that offers a rating of 30 or higher. That doesn’t mean you have to go overboard and get an SPF 100+ because there’s an effectiveness plateau once you reach a certain SPF rating. The 30 to 50 range works well blocking 97 compared to 98% of UV rays, respectively.