Yesterday, I was part of a very interesting conversation and one really dear to my heart on the issue of Sunscreen in Nigeria, hosted by Lakeshore Cancer Clinic.
Today, I would like to recap that conversation here, for the benefit of those who missed out on that conversation.
What are UV Rays?
UV rays are electromagnetic waves (energy) exited from the sun.
They are at the end of the violet end of the visible light spectrum and are invisible, so can neither be seen or felt.
Uv rays come in 3 different wavelengths: short (UVC), Medium (UVB) and long(UVA)
UVC rays do not get to the earth surface, Some UVB rays reach the earth surface while most of it get absorbed by the atmosphere, while 98% of the UVA Rays mostly hit the earth surface.
So, the issue of UV radiation on the earth is majorly due to UVA and UVB rays
Do we need sunscreen as Africans?
The answer is an emphatic “YES”. We as much as anybody else need to wear suncreen due to our geographical location.
There are certain factors which can affect the amount of UV rays that one is exposed to ant any given time and one of that is geographical location. The closer you are to the equator, the higher the amount of Uv radiation.
Africa, as a continent is very close to the equator and Nigeria as a county os one of the closest countries to the equator, therefore the amount of UV was that we receive in Nigeria is quite a lot, compared to some other parts of the world.
This means that we really need to take sun safety very important in this part of the world.
Other factors that affect UV intensity include, altitude ( they higher you go, the more exposed you are to UV rays)so people who live in hilly or mountainous terrains wouldd also need to pay attention to their UV exposure.
Another very important reason , why African need sunscreen would be the erronos belief that melanin in dark skin provides natural UV protection.
This thought process is not very correct, because as African, our natural melanin, only gives us a sunoprotection factor (SPF) of 13, where’s the average recommended SPF for daily protection is at least an SPF of 30.
So, you can clearly see that our melanin will help us to an extent (especially when compared to caucasian skin, which is about SPF 3-4), however, by itself, it would not be sufficient to protect us from daily UV exposure.
What is SPF
SPF is a measure of protection you get by properly applying sunscreen on our body. So, a sunscreen of SPF 30 will protect from 97% of Uv rays hitting the skin, whereas an SPF of 50 will provide 98% protection from UV rays.
SPF of a sunscreen extends the amount of time you would normally spend in the sun with out getting burnt by a factor based on the number after the SPF.
For instance if you naturally burn after 15mins in the sun, wearing a sunscreen with SPFs 15 will extend that time 15x. The means , you will be able to spend 225mins (3hrs) in the sun before getting burnt instead of 15mins (as you would naturally, without suncreen)
How does UV rays affect the skin
- UV rays can cause a number of issues for all skin types and colours. both the UVA and UVB rays cause different damages to the skin.
- UVA (A for aging) causes photo aging, wrinkles and waekens the collagen making the skin look flabby and weak and skin tanning
- UVB (B for Burning) causes, burning, redness, and hyperpigmentation issues
- Uv rays can also cause a number of eye issues like cataracts etc.
- Overexposure to UV rays in young children can lead to a suppression of the skin’s immune system, leaving then vulnerable to all sorts of skin infections and diseases.
- There is also the issue of skin cancer, however, this is not a prevailing situation at the moment for darker skinned people and I hope it remains this way, notwithstanding the depletion of the ozone layer due to environmental pollution and release of chlorofluorocarbons carbons into the atmosphere.
How do we protect ourselves from UVdamage:?
A number of things we can do..
Wearing sunscreen is really important, daily, even when it looks like the weather is cloudy. Remember that UVA Rays are not absorbed by the atmosphere, even if the UVB rays get absorbed by the clouds.
When getting a sunscreen, remember to get a broad spectrum sunscreen that cover both UVA and UVB protection with a minimus SPF of at least 30.
Wear your sunscreen daily, using about 1 teaspoonful for face and neck and reapplying very 2 hours.
Wear a wide brim hat, a face cap or an umbrella , if you need to go outside including your suncreen.
Wear protective clothing , ones that you will not see you hands through when you put your hand in to cover the rest of your body when outdoors.
UV Sunglasses when outdoors are also advisable to protect the eyes from damaging effects of UV rays.
Eat healthy foods, lots of fruits and green leafy vegetables, fatty acids like fish, eggs and nuts as well as lycopene rich foods like tomatoes, watermelon, and carotenoid rich foods like carrots and red palm oil, as well as antioxidant rich foods like green tea etc.
These foods will help to stop or reduce the free radical damage caused to the body as a result of excessive sun exposure .
Planning outdoor activities, if you can help it within this periods where the UV radiation is low is also really useful in managing our exposure.
The Uv index is a number that indicates the level or amount of UV rays hitting the earth surface at any given time.
It is calculated to give an estimate of the level of radiation in a given place at a given time .
The numbers range from 1 -12 with 1 signifying low UV index and 12 signifying high UV index.
Generally avoiding out door events or activities between the hours of 10am and 3pm when the UV index is at its highest is advisable.
Do I need to wear sunscreen, when I am in the swimming pool?
The answer is anther emphatic YES.
As a matter of fact certain surfaces like water, snow and sand reflect whatever UV rays that fall on. So if you are on the beach, swimming pool or in the snow, you are likely to receive 2x the intensity of UV rays that you normally would based on the reflection from theses surfaces.
Therefore it’s important to pay attention when in these circumstances.
At what age should we start wearing sunscreens?
Its important to start wearing sunscreens as early as possible to avoid future damage. Unfortunately, most of the damage that happens early on in life only show up much ;later in life.
Sunscreens are recommended from age 6 months up, younger children should be kept away from the sun as much as possible.
I sometimes have a few sunscreen critics challenge me by saying that wearing sunscreen makes them darker.
My response to them is this
- to ensure that they are using the correct amount of suncreen to give proper coverage, ie about 1 teaspoon for the face and neck.
- To ensure that they reapply suncreen every 2 hours if they are outdoors for a long time
- to ensure that they are not exposing themselves to other factors that can cause their skins to darken. Even though UV rays are the major culprits when it comes to skin darkening, it’s worth noting that this is not the only factor responsible. There are studies and research that indicate that high energy visible light (HEV) and Infrared rays, both also emitted from the sun, have the ability to cause activation of melanogenosis ( the process of melanin stimulation , which can cause tanning) and out sunscreens will not protect you from the effects of these, since it only offers UVA and UVB protection.
Thank you so much for reading this, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have, if you leave your comment below