Summer is one of the most awaited seasons because of what it represents. It represents the feeling of letting loose and enjoying the best of what life has to offer. We get a chance to let our hair down and take a dip in the pool or ocean. However, summer does come with its challenges and on top of that list is the danger we face when we expose our skin to dangerous ultraviolet rays. But lucky for us, science has us covered with the invention of sunscreen products. Sunscreen can be traced as far back as 3100 BC when one of the earliest civilizations in Egypt used products such as jasmine, lupin extracts, and rice to protect their skin from the scorching sun. This was followed by other ancient civilizations like the Greeks when they used olive oil to protect their skin from the sun. Things have since evolved to other sunscreen products and currently, you can choose from either a physical sunscreen or a chemical sunscreen. If you are wondering what the difference is then you need to read on to get a clear distinction between the two and how to use them.
Chemical sunscreen is made primarily from organic and carbon-based products and they are intended to be absorbed by the skin. The absorption will later cause a chemical reaction that results in our skin blocking of dangerous ultraviolet rays. The organic and carbon-based products can either be listed as oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, homosalate, avobenzone, octinoxate, and octisalate. These are the active ingredients and they can be found on the label of any chemical-based sunscreen.
This type of sunscreen has some advantages and the top among them is the fact that it is lighter and thinner thus it is easier to spread and apply on the skin. Since it is easier to apply, you only need a small quantity to get your skin covered. You can also add other products to the sunscreen before applying it to the skin. You can add antioxidants, enzymes, or peptides for more appealing results.
The negative effect of this type of sunscreen is the fact that your body temperature may rise as a result of the chemical reaction. This can cause you to have decolorization of brown spots on your skin as a side effect. Depending on the product, it can take anywhere between 5 to 45 minutes for the active ingredient to be effective.
Physical sunscreen
Physical sunscreen usually contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as their primary ingredient. Minerals like zinc oxide are not absorbed by our skin and they function by sitting on top of the skin and forming a barrier that prevents ultraviolet light from reaching our skin.
It is one of the recommended sunscreens for vulnerable people with sensitive skin like children or pregnant women. This is because it is much safer since there is no chemical absorption to the skin. It is effective because it starts working immediately after appalling it.
The downside to using this type of sunscreen is the pale or ghostlike appearance you get after using it. Other people have also lamented on the difficult level of wearing physical sunscreen as opposed to chemical-based sunscreen.
