South Africa is famous for its sunshine, averaging more than 2 500 hours of sunlight per year. It is essential to look after your skin by protecting it against harmful UV rays, especially during summer but also during the other months. Whether you’re tanning at the beach or going about your daily activities, UV rays will find their way to your skin, especially your face. Below are five top tips for selecting the best sunscreen for your face.
1. Select a broad-spectrum sunscreen
Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect your skin from all four types of radiation, namely UVA, UVB, Visible, and IR. Heliocare®’s broad-spectrum protection against all kinds of radiation prevents both their immediate damage (burns) and those that arise over time: namely skin ageing, dark spots, loss of defences, allergies and even skin cancer.
2. Go for high SPF
In the past, it was believed that SPF 15 offers sufficient UV protection for day-to-day use, but an SPF of 30-plus is recommended now. SPF 15 protects against 93% of UV rays, while SPF 30 protects against 97%, and SPF 50 comes in at around 98%. In other words, you get double the sun protection from SPF 30 than you do from SPF 15! All Heliocare® products have an SPF of at least 50, and Heliocare® 360 complies with the highest standards of photoprotection, designed for even the most sensitive and problematic skins requiring maximum protection against sun damage throughout the year.
3. Choose the correct product type
Sunscreens come in different application types, including lotions, capsules, sprays, gels, and even colour cushions. When choosing a sunscreen for your face, it is crucial to consider your skin type. Sensitive and spot-prone skins need carefully formulated products that are gentle on the skin. It should come as no surprise that oily skin and dry skin have different needs from normal or combination skin! Researching whether a specific product will work for your skin type will save you from buying a product that might not work for you.
4. Use a sunscreen that looks after your skin
Cheap sunscreens might protect you from the sun but leave your skin damaged in other ways. Heliocare®’s patented Fernblock® technology has numerous benefits, including multiplying the skin’s resistance to sunburn, repairing DNA damage, neutralising and eliminating free radicals through antioxidant activity, preventing photoaging and pigmentation control, and improved immune defence.
5. Choose water-resistant sunscreen
When choosing the best sunscreen for your skin, it is vital to make sure the product is water-resistant. Even if you don’t plan on swimming, you might sweat off your sunscreen, so its best to opt for a water-resistant product whenever possible. A layer of sunscreen should be applied every 40 – 80 minutes for the best protection.
