By: KATIE WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
Sunscreen is something we all use frequently in the summer-time to avoid sun burns, but sunscreen has a much more important purpose than us not getting sunburns in summer. Our skin is the largest organ we have, so taking proper care of it is extremely important. The first reason is UV rays; the sun gives off powerful UV rays that can damage skin, which is why a lot of people get sunburns because those rays have burned the skin. Which leads to my second point, skin cancer and advanced aging. When having prolonged exposure to the sun after years and years (I’m talking like 20-60 years) our skin will start showing signs of advanced aging like having wrinkles at the age of 37. Skin cancer is extremely common, 1 in 5 Americans by the age of 70 will have skin cancer. While it is treatable it isn’t fun dealing with any type of cancer. Now finding the right type of sunscreen can be complicated. Some might be confused about SPF so what are the differences between SPF 30, 50, and 100? SPF 30 allows only 3% of those UV rays to go through, 50 allows only 2% and 100 allows 1%. Since the difference is so little it doesn’t matter what SPF you wear, it’s about how common you wear it. No matter the weather, wear sunscreen to protect your skin from those harsh UV rays!