According to this research, there are about a million new cases of skin cancer in the United States each year, and about 70% of these are caused by long-term exposure to the sun. During the summer you will probably be out in the sun a lot, so keep your sunscreen handy.

Before you buy sunscreen, it’s important to know more about it. Here are five facts that will help you a lot.

5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Sunscreen

1. It doesn’t protect all skin types equally

Sunscreens offer different levels of protection to different people. Even more, they protect us more or less, depending on where we are on the planet. Also, remember that if you have particularly delicate or sensitive skin, you should limit your time in the sun.

It is essential to know our skin and reapply sun protection at least every two hours, even if we don’t bathe. Also, don’t use more than what is suggested, or you won’t meet the SPF on the label.

2. SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

You might also want to know that a sunscreen with SPF 100 is not twice as good as one with SPF 50 at blocking UV rays. Even though it sounds like they are much safer, that is not the case. Any SPF greater than 50 only protects between 98.5 and 99% of the sun’s rays, while an SPF of 50 protects 98%.

3. Quantities are essential

Be careful with how much sun protection you use. The face and neck need one teaspoon, while the rest of the body needs six teaspoons. Remember these tips when you go out into the sun and don’t cut corners. This will help you get a healthy tan. But don’t put on too much sunscreen, as that can be bad for your skin.

4. Don’t rely too much on home remedies

Be careful with homemade sunscreen, also called “Do it yourself” (DIY). With the easy access to the internet, it’s easy to find hundreds of articles with recipes or tips on how to protect your skin from the sun at home.

In reality, these things don’t always work and might not protect you from the sun’s rays. Also, they haven’t been tested to see how well they work or if the ingredients are really what they claim to be. So, it’s not safe to use this kind of sunscreen.

5. Sunscreen does not accumulate

The fact that SPF factors don’t mix is one of the most interesting things to know about sunscreen. In other words, if we use a BB cream with an SPF of 20 and then add a cream that protects against UV rays with an SPF of 30, our skin will only be protected by an SPF of 30, not SPF 50. Always remember that adding more beauty products does not equate to more protection against UV rays.

Final Thoughts

You can protect yourself from UV rays in many ways besides lotions and sprays. For example, you can wear long-sleeved clothes, sunglasses, and hats and stay out of the sun during its brightest hours (midday until three in the afternoon). A lot of the time, being in the shade is better than just putting on sunscreen.

Please take the time to take care of your skin!