Sunscreens protect the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can lead to skin cancer
They can come in gel, cream or milk form
Any of these methods of delivery are good depending on your skin type, but they should always be applied very liberally
Sunscreens contain both chemical absorbers and physical blockers to protect you from UV radiation
The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a measure of the strength of the sunscreen
SPF 30+ is the best, and an SPF 50+ will be coming out next year, although it will not provide much more protection
What does sunscreen contain?
Sunscreen contains one or both of the following types of active ingredients:
Chemical absorbers which absorb UV radiation and stop it reaching your skin.
Physical blockers, which are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, that reflect and scatter UV radiation.
What is SPF?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.
The SPF number is only a guide to a sunscreen's protection properties.
In laboratory conditions SPF30+ sunscreen filters 96.7% of UV radiation. It is anticipated that SPF 50+ will become available in Australia in late 2012. However, SPF50+ sunscreen will provide only a negligible improvement in protection over SPF30+ from 96.7% to 98%.
