Honestly, how careful are you about sun protection? Do you apply sunscreen several times a day and make sure your children are adequately protected too? 

In fact, only around 13 percent of people use sunscreen every day. About half apply it only in summer or when exposed to direct sunlight, while the rest use it even less often or not at all.

And this is despite sun protection being one of the most important measures for preventing skin cancer. Around 44,000 people in Austria develop skin cancer every year, about 5,000 of them the particularly dangerous type of skin cancer known as melanoma. Many of these cases could be prevented with consistent sun protection.

Sunscreen: the most effective anti-aging product

For anyone struggling with the natural aging process: sun protection is the most effective anti-aging product there is. This is because a large part of visible skin aging is caused by UVA radiation (photoaging). UV rays promote the formation of wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, pigmentation and age spots, and enlarged blood vessels, and can cause an uneven complexion.

Why are UVA and UVB rays harmful?

UVA and UVB rays penetrate deep into the skin and cause cell damage there. 

How to protect yourself!

Clothing, headwear, sunglasses with UV filters, and high-quality sunscreens provide the best sun protection.

What does the sun protection factor actually mean?

The sun protection factor (SPF) indicates how long the skin is protected from UV rays when sunscreen is applied. An SPF of 50 theoretically protects the skin 50 times longer than no protection. This means that if the skin starts to redden after just 5 minutes without protection, it is protected for 250 minutes (around 4 hours) with an SPF of 50. 

In practice, however, things are different: sweat, water, or friction (from clothing) reduce the protection. 

Tip: When outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours.

At Zweihorn Pharmacy, we offer a wide range of sun protection products: for children and people with allergies, special creams for the face and body, creams with a particularly high SPF for very fair or already damaged skin, as well as various products that care for and soothe your skin after sun exposure.