New Delhi.  The heat wave is touching new heights every day. From humans to animals and plants, everyone is in a bad condition due to the scorching sun and hot winds. In such a situation, no matter how much we try not to go out in the sun to avoid the heat wave, it is not possible. We have to go out for some work or the other and then we have to face the scorching heat and heat wave. In such a situation, the effect of the scorching sun is first on our skin. Therefore, due to the increasing heat, people can have many skin related problems, of which sunburn and skin rash are the most common.

Therefore, the most effective way to protect your skin from the heat is to use sunscreen. But can every sunscreen protect your skin from this scorching sun? What criteria should be kept in mind while buying sunscreen and how much sunscreen should be applied? We have tried to answer many such questions in this article. Let's know how to choose the best sunscreen for yourself.

UVA and UVB rays emitted by the sun can damage our skin to such an extent that they can cause age spots, wrinkles, skin burns and even skin cancer . Therefore, it becomes very important to protect the skin from these harmful rays. For this, you will find many types of sunscreens being sold in the market, but it is not necessary that every sunscreen protects your skin.

How to choose the right sunscreen?

Usually, people pay attention to only one thing while choosing a sunscreen. That is SPF (Sun Protection Factor). The SPF of the sunscreen is very important, but it would be wrong to choose a sunscreen based only on this. Actually, SPF only blocks UVB rays. These rays damage the upper surface of the skin, but UVA rays can damage the skin from within, due to which the risk of skin cancer is the highest.

To protect against UVA rays, it is important to check the PA (Protection Grade of UVA) of the sunscreen. For this, you can see the PA+ symbol on the sunscreen. The more the + marks, the more protection. Therefore, it is very important to take care of these two criteria to know how effective the sunscreen is.

Which sunscreen is better?

You will find three types of sunscreens in the market. The first is physical sunscreen, the second is chemical sunscreen and the third is hybrid. The difference between these three is that physical sunscreen contains zinc oxide, which forms a protective layer on the skin, due to which the harmful rays of the sun are not able to reach your skin. Chemical sunscreens use chemical filters, which get absorbed in the skin and prevent the harmful rays from causing harm.

Hybrid sunscreen is made by mixing these two sunscreens. Although, all these three sunscreens are effective in providing protection from UV rays, but which one is right for you, you can consult your skin doctor by talking about pregnancy, skin allergy etc.

(Picture Courtesy: Freepik)

How to apply sunscreen?

You will get these sunscreens in the form of lotion, powder, stick, spray etc. You can choose them according to your convenience. To apply sunscreen on the face, take out the amount of sunscreen equal to your first two fingers and apply it properly on every part of the face. Do not let it enter your eyes and mouth. Also, make sure that you apply sunscreen every two hours, whether you go out or not, because the sunlight entering the house through the window etc. can also cause the same amount of damage to the skin.

Apart from this, keep in mind that sunscreen is the last step in your skincare routine and it should not be limited to the face only. All parts of your body that can be exposed to sunlight need sun protection. Also, you can choose a matte or dewy sunscreen according to your skin type so that you do not feel sticky or dry.