Even Black Skin Needs Sunscreen
Dear Ms. Hot or Not Beauty –
I’m an African American woman in my 30’s and I have never worn sunscreen. I keep hearing that it’s important. But I also have heard that dark skin has a natural sun protection built in. What do you recommend?
Thanks
C
Dearest C –
Thanks so much for first of all reading and secondly for inquiring about such an important subject matter. The short answer is YES! No matter what your skin color, you should be wearing an SPF daily. While darker skins typically do not burn as quickly as their fair counterparts, constant sun exposure can lead to a host of skin care ills down the road. Hyperpigmentation being a primary offender. Many women of color in their 30’s and above wonder why suddenly they have outbreaks of dark spots afflicting thier once even complexions. Well, it’s due to all that casual sun exposure over the years.
First let’s learn how an SPF works.
Just as a screen filters light, a sunscreen filters the sun’s rays. The ingredients in sunscreen absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation by forming a barrier on the skin’s surface. Energy from sunlight is converted to heat, dissipating harmlessly. No sunscreen can shield the sun 100%, so it’s important if you want full protection to wear long sleeves, big hats, sunglasses — the works!
How do you know how much to use?
First you have to calculate how fast you burn. If it takes you 10 minutes to burn, then you will be protected for 150 minutes with and SPF of 15 or 300 minutes with an SPF of 30. You multiply the time it takes you to burn (10 minutes) by the amount of SPF in your sunscreen. If you are sweating or in and out of water, it’s important to reapply frequently to keep protected.
According to the American Melanoma Foundation:
What is an SPF?
The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) displayed on the sunscreen label ranges from 2 to as high as 50 and refers to the product’s ability to screen or block out the sun’s harmful rays. For example, if you use a sunscreen with an SPF 15, you can be in the sun 15 times longer that you can without sunscreen before burning. Consumers need to be aware that SPF protection does not increase proportionally with an increased SPF number. While an SPF of 2 will absorb 50% of ultraviolet radiation, an SPF of 15 absorbs 93% and an SPF of 34 absorbs 97%.
It is also important to have a combination of chemical sunscreens in your product. Some protect from UVB rays (burn) and others from UVA (aging).
For darker skins, I recommend chemical sunscreens. When formulated correctly, these will melt into the skin without leaving an ashy, purply hued residue as does titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Look for ingredients like Avobenzone [butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane; Parsol 1789],
Octinoxate and Octisalate. If you do use a physical sunscreen such as zinc or titanium dioxide, look for a micelized version.
Some great sunscreens to check out are made by Peter Thomas Roth, Cellex C, Murad, Skin Ceuticals and MD Formulations. They can all be found at DermaDoctor.
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