Astute Clinic

One day, you noticed the beautiful baby blue sky outside calling you to play so you decided to get up from that old couch, put on something decent and open the front door for the first time in ages. In an instant, Mr. Sun flexes his huge muscular rays all over you and the weight on your skin becomes too hot to bear so you regret the very decision to come out of hibernation.

BUT! This can be solved if you have just put on sunscreen. It seems like a no brainer what sunscreen is, but what else do you really know about it? For all of us living in Malaysia, the sun is oftentimes our enemy more than our friend and we have to protect ourselves using cosmetic armour that can withstand even the harshest sunlight. Here are a few things that you should really know about.

UVA vs UVB

Most people don’t know the difference between UVA and UVB. The longer wave of the UVA light penetrates into the thickest layer of skin (dermis) and can affect aging, wrinkles and the breakdown of collagen. Whereas, the UVB light only grazes the outer layer, but it most definitely causes sunburn and also skin cancer. The more you know.

Sunscreen Is A Sometimes Product & They’re All The Same

The general idea that you only need sunscreen when Mr. Sun’s out is widely misinformed because he lurks everywhere and exposes UV light on your skin even during cloudy days. It’s only by applying sunscreen or covering up with clothes that you can truly hide from his vicious glare. A wide variety of active ingredients like titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and ecamsule differentiate sunscreens from each other and they all vary in their protective features. The best solution is to use a full spectrum sunscreen that can shade your skin from even the largest range of UV light. It’s best to take full precaution right from the get go.

Makeup And/Or One Application Of Sunscreen Is Enough

There is a belief that make up contains sufficient amount of sun protection and that it’s enough as a form of protection, but the truth is it’s never as good as sunscreen. This is because sunscreens were made to cover a wide range of coverage that make up lacks in. Just to be safe, sunscreen should be applied as often as possible (every 2-4 hours) especially when it involves being outdoors.

Dark-Skinned People Don’t Need Sunscreen

Even though dark-skinned people with more melanin in their skin have an edge up in terms of lower incidences of skin cancer, they are still not impervious to hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and also uneven tone especially after being under the sun for too long. Again, full protection should be taken.

SPF, Health Problems & Expiration

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is an indicator of the amount of time sunscreen protects you from UVB rays. An example is SPF 30 can protect the skin for about 10 hours. However, as the SPF number increases, the protection value only gradually follows i.e. SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays while SPF 50 for 98% and SPF 100 for 99%. The best sunscreen are physical blockers consisting of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide because they’re reliable enough, don’t react with skin and confer broad protection.

And, contrary to old studies regarding the skepticism of oxybenzone, which is an active ingredient in sunscreens that was used on rats, there has been no concrete proof that it endangers humans in any way. Lastly, nothing lasts forever in this small world we live in and that includes sunscreens. The ingredients will break down over time causing it to be harmful to use so be sure to look at the fine label on the bottle and toss it right out if it’s expired.

I know what you’re thinking – WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS ABOUT SUNSCREEN?! The frustration eats at you, but you can now defeat Mr. Sun with Astute Clinic’s Defend series featuring the MK Milk Sunscreen SPF 30 PA+++ and TS Tinted Sunscreen SPF 50 PA+++. Check them out here!

Look no further and get Astute Clinic’s perennial best seller – our Tinted Sunscreen 50ml at RM198 at our clinic.