All You Wanted to Know About Sunscreens
4. Precautions
Before applying sunscreen, you must know everything about it. For instance, don’t apply sunscreen to infants under 6 months of age as it can have side effects. Also, keep them away from the sun to avoid any damage to their skin. For children, use lotion sunscreens with SPF of at least 15. Avoid alcohol-based sunscreen products for children as they can cause irritation. As for adults, spending little time in the sun and using sunscreen products may cause to develop vitamin D deficiency. Thus, you should eat food that is rich in vitamin D. Always consult your doctor about any skin problems you may have before applying sunscreen. Before buying a sunscreen, you should always check the ingredients of the sunscreen for any allergies that you might have.
5. Application
Sunscreens are available in forms of cream, gel, lotion, lip balm, oil, spray, and stick. You should apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure. As most sunscreens can be easily removed from the skin, you should reapply it every 2-3 hours. You should reapply sunscreen especially after swimming or heavy perspiration. Lip sunscreens should be reapplied liberally at least once every hour while you are in the sun. If you are wearing makeup, use products incorporated with sunscreens. If you are not wearing makeup but just moisturizer, then apply sunscreen over the moisturizer, not vice versa.
6. Side effects
Your skin may be allergic to some sunscreens. In that case, you should consult your doctor. There will be tell-tale side effects of applying sunscreens. Some of them include burning, itching, redness, swelling, stinging of skin, pain in hairy areas, rash, blisters and pus in hair follicles. Other side effects are tightening or drying of skin. Whatever reaction your skin suffers after applying sunscreen, you must stop using the sunscreen and consult your doctor.
