Sunscreen for Adults and Youngsters

Finding correct sunscreen for adults and all of us kids is a challenge popular to parents everywhere. Whether you’re going on a family vacation or you just want to protect everyone when they go outside during the summer months, it’s important to select sun protection that is safe and sound and effective for everybody. Many mom and dad wonder whether it’s okay to use the same sunblock for kids and adults. The answer is not a simple yes or no, but has more to do with the specific situations, including the characteristics of the sun protection solution chosen and the age of the children.

Opting Sunscreen for the Family

There are some different things to consider when you’re searching for sun safety for your whole household. The first and perhaps most important is the issue of visibility, both to the sun and to substances. On one hand, kids are more vulnerable to the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun than are adults. But on the other, they are also more at risk to the potentially hazardous effects of the chemicals found in some sunblock. This is especially true of very young children, so the ages of your kids might be one thing to take into thing to consider as well. Keep these tips in mind when purchasing for family-friendly sunblock:

– Choosing sun protection that is family-friendly means considering both performance and formulation at the same time.

– Parents need to look at the SPF level of any product they buy and also examine its performance characteristics to make sure it protects against UVA as well as UVB rays. Not all sunscreens do both.

– Buyers also should examine the components in a product to make sure it is safe to use, especially for children. Chemical exposure is something that might even be more harmful than we realize, since the industry is learning more about the long-term effects of certain chemicals as time goes by.

A good bet is to opt for mineral-based sun protection rather than chemically based sunblock. Choose a brand that provides the protection you are looking for while also safeguarding your whole family from the likely affect of chemical exposure.

Mineral-Based Sun Protection

Choosing an actual rather than a chemical sunscreen may cut back the risk of harm to your skin from the ingredients in the sunscreen you choose. Physical sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide remain on the skin because these metal salts are unable to break up in sweat and other bodily fluids. This property makes them ideal for use by anyone who tends to be sensitive to chemically based sun protection and who experiences allergic reactions such as rashes upon using them, because mineral sunblock is much less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

– Parents looking at physical sunscreens for their kids should take care to examine all of the ingredients in the product. There are some that contain inorganic compounds and many of the same chemicals found in other sunscreens.

– The mineral-based safety offered by zinc oxide and titanium oxide covers more of the UV spectrum than do some other products. Products incorporating these metal salts also reveal some sunlight in both the UVB and visible range. This can help prevent sunburn and reduce your chances of premature aging. The risk of skin cancer goes down too.

All parents should review their own needs and contemplate the specifics of their situation in determining whether they can safely use a single sun protection service for everyone in the household. Make sure you choose a product with an SPF level sufficient to safeguard against excessive UV exposure, and use sun protection constantly and according to label directions to reduce the risk of sun damage.

Jessica Johnson is a freelance writer who has written and published numerous pieces on skincare. One of her main interests is in exploring sunscreen products that are safe for babies.

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