Daily Fit 06/17/2019: The best SPF for sun protection

We’re nearing the first official day of summer and with longer and sunnier days, we need to make sure that we’re actively protecting our skin from both UVA and UVB rays by applying sunscreen and wearing protective clothing. For optimal sun protection, you’ll want to apply at least SPF 30 to your entire body, but going higher than that isn’t actually necessary. Here’s why.

1. The difference in UVB ray protection between SPF 30 and higher is almost negligible.

Every year, the sunscreen market is oversaturated with options that reach the SPF 100+ mark, making a measly SPF 30 look inferior. But there isn’t actually much difference in UVB ray protection from one sunscreen to the other. According to the Environmental Working Group, properly applied SPF 50 sunscreen blocks 98 percent of UVB rays and SPF 100 blocks 99 percent. But SPF 30 still does a stand-up job by blocking 96.7 percent of UVB rays.

2. Higher SPF products usually have to add more chemicals.

To create the aforementioned minuscule difference in sun-guarding ability between SPF 30 and SPF 30+ sunscreens, higher SPF products need to add more chemicals which can do more harm than good to your skin.

3. Higher SPF sunscreens actually offer less protection to UVA rays.

Because UVA and UVB protection don’t harmonize in one product, higher SPF sunscreens often end up offering our skin worse protection from UVA rays since they’re focusing dominantly on the UVB spectrum. So we end up avoiding sunburns while risking deeper skin damage and leaving the door open for skin cancer. Yikes! Click through for more reasons to stick to SPF 30 sunscreen and learn how to apply it properly. [Swirled]

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