The first heat wave warning of the year has been issued here in South Korea, with powerful rays and ultraviolet radiation.
And to protect ourselves from the sun,.... our Kim Hye-sung tells us the correct way to use sunscreen and what to look for when buying sunglasses.
The sun emits two types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reach our skin and eyes.
Ultraviolet A (UVA) and the shorter ultraviolet B (UVB).
When looking for sunscreen products, you should check the SPF, sun protection factor, used to protect the skin from UVB that causes premature aging and PA or protection factor that protects from UVA.
SPF indicates how long it will take for UVB rays to redden the skin when using a sunscreen.
For instance, someone using a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will take 15 times longer to redden than without the sunscreen.
So the higher the number, the longer it lasts.
"Research shows SPF of 50 or higher is effective. PA triple plus is good enough to protect from UVA. But what matters is how much you apply and how often you apply it. We recommend applying it every two hours. You actually need 2 milligrams per square centimeter of skin. But people usually use only a third of the necessary amount. Putting more on than you think is actually important."
UVA and UVB also affect our eyes as the cornea can absorb UVA when it's strong, causing inflammation of the cornea and can potentially cause cataracts.
There are three key things to look for.
Number one is check whether it can block UV of 400 nanometers at optical stores.
Second, is color of the lens in the sunglasses.
Apparently, out of the colors dark grey, purple, brown, green there's a type your eyes will feel most comfortable with.
"Everyone has different cells, that applies for eyes too. On top of the size of the pupil that changes sun penetration, the color of sunglasses can affect your eye stress level. So we recommend customers find a color that suits them, and the weight of the glasses that fits them."
In addition, check your sunglasses every two years to see if there are any scratches on the surface, which can affect the amount of sun penetration.
Lastly, don't leave your sunglasses in the car, especially if you park it outside in the summer.
Cars can heat up to 70 Celsius degrees, which can damage the sunglasses.
Kim Hyesung, Arirang News.
