With the start of fall and many of us still working from home, it may feel like you can relax your sun care routine. But the reality is that even if you’re spending the day inside, you still need to protect your skin from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Even though you may feel shielded by the windows in your home, windows do not filter all UV rays equally and some are strong enough to penetrate through your windows.
To understand why it’s important to wear sunscreen inside, you first need to know the difference between the two main types of UV radiation: UVA and UVB. UVA rays have the longest wavelength and penetrate the skin much deeper than medium-wavelength UVB rays. UVA rays are also strongly associated with immediate tanning effects, aging, and the development of skin cancer. On the other hand, UVB rays generally penetrate and damage the outermost layers of the skin.
While UVB rays are mostly filtered through glass and windows, UVA rays are everywhere! UVA rays are not only able to penetrate windows, but also cloud coverage! Even though they are slightly less intense than UVB rays, they can penetrate and damage deeper layers of your skin when you’re indoors. As a result you still need to protect your skin when you’re staying inside. It’s best to use a sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection, which will provide protection against both UVA rays and UVB rays!
If you learned something new, share this post with a friend! You can also follow us on Instagram for more information about sun protection.