Nature’s Protection The Best Choice for Your Skin

The sun, the source of life and the precious jewel that illuminates our day, plays a crucial role in the continuation of all life on Earth through the rays it emits. The role of the sun in our lives is so significant that humanity has deified it with different names for thousands of years, such as Apollon in Anatolia, Ra in Egypt, and Amaterasu in Japan.

Today, we can evaluate the sun with the light of science in various ways. The sun sends energy to our planet through different means: the visible light we can see, the infrared light we can feel as heat, and ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet radiation is categorized into three types: Ultraviolet - A (UV-A), Ultraviolet - B (UV-B), and Ultraviolet - C (UV-C).

UVC rays are the highest energy among them, but they are largely filtered out by the ozone layer, so they cannot reach our planet. The UVB and UVA rays that can reach our planet are as follows:

• UVB rays: UVB rays have higher energy than UVA rays.

• UVA rays: Although their energy level is lower than UVB, their effects are different.

UVA rays:

• Can penetrate through glass

• Not affected by season or altitude

• Present every day and throughout the year

• Penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin

• Are 20 times more abundant than UVB rays

• Lead to long-term damage to the skin

UVB rays:

• Cannot pass through glass

• Cause sunburn

• Promote tanning

• Help the body produce vitamin D

• Are more intense during certain times of the day (e.g., around noon)

• Contribute to the development of skin cancer and cataracts.

Our planet is surrounded by a protective shield that shields us from harmful rays from the sun. This shield is called the Ozone Layer. The ozone layer filters out most of the UVC rays and a significant portion of UVB rays coming from the sun. This enables life to thrive on Earth. The thickness of the ozone layer is crucial for maintaining the natural balance of our planet. It particularly has a significant impact on skin cancer. Unfortunately, due to the use of chlorofluorocarbon-containing products, the ozone layer has started to thin. The layer is thinning over Antarctica, the coldest continent on our planet. NASA regularly monitors the ozone hole and publishes data on it. According to the data, the hole over Antarctica has reached a diameter of 23 million square kilometers. This represents a hole that is 30 times the size of Turkey or 2.3 times the size of Europe. One might think, "Since the hole is in Antarctica and there is no population living there, it doesn't affect us." However, it's crucial to understand that our world operates as a unified system, and if there's a problem in one place, it will inevitably affect other areas. The ozone hole over Antarctica is contributing to the melting of a massive continent that regulates the cooling of the Earth. This melting leads to imbalances in temperature worldwide and a rise in sea levels. Therefore, the issue of the ozone hole in Antarctica cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to us. Just like how a needle prick on our fingertip can be felt throughout our body, the same principle applies to the Earth. In the United States, 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. Skin cancer is diagnosed more frequently than all other types of cancer combined. The primary cause of skin cancer is exposure to UV rays from the sun.

With this data, we can better understand the value of the ozone layer, which protects us. The continents closest to the area where the ozone layer is depleted are Australia, southern Africa, and South America. As the size of the hole in the ozone layer increases, its effects will be felt more strongly across all of Europe. In Turkey, skin cancer is one of the top 10 most important types of cancer. According to the Ministry of Health's Cancer Statistics 2018 report, approximately 7 out of every 100,000 people in Turkey have skin cancer.

One of our most important weapons for protecting ourselves from the sun is provided by cosmetic companies: Sunscreens. Effective and proper use of sunscreen can lead to a 50% reduction in skin cancers worldwide. The level of protection in sunscreens is commonly indicated by the Sun Protection Factor (SPF). However, there are some misconceptions and misinformation about SPF.

Misconception 1: The higher the SPF, the more protection it provides!

While this misconception is partially true, it doesn't fully reflect the reality. The difference between SPF 15 and SPF 30 doesn't mean it provides twice as much protection. Essentially, SPF protection doesn't increase linearly. While SPF 15 filters out 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 filters out 97%. So, the protection increases by only 4%. The increase in SPF protection is illustrated in the graph below.

Misconception 2: I am protected against all harmful sun rays with SPF products!

This is not entirely accurate. SPF only indicates protection against UVB rays and does not imply protection against UVA rays. For this, additional expressions such as "Full Protection" or "Broad Spectrum Protection" should be present on the products.

Misconception 3: After applying sunscreen, I am protected from the sun for a long time. I don't need to reapply.

This is another commonly misunderstood notion. SPF actually mainly indicates the difference here. For instance, if you haven't applied sunscreen and your skin burns in 10 minutes, using SPF 15 would extend that time to 150 minutes. With SPF 50, it would extend to 500 minutes. The difference in SPF is not about the percentage of protection but about the duration. To effectively protect yourself, it's necessary to reapply sunscreen according to the SPF factor of the product.

Another aspect of sunscreens is the UV filter materials used to provide SPF protection. Two main groups of UV filter raw materials are used to provide SPF protection: Chemical and Physical (Mineral) UV filters.

Some chemical filters have been scientifically shown to potentially harm important parts of the ocean ecosystem, such as coral reefs.

Mineral-based UV filters represent a safer choice in terms of not causing harm to the environment. It's important for cosmetic manufacturers to opt for safer choices when producing their products.

As cosmetic manufacturers, we should continue to contribute to enabling humanity to benefit most from this beautiful jewel by producing safe sunscreens. Wishing for sunny and safe days ahead for all of us.