What does the sun protection factor indicate?
What should you pay attention to besides the sun protection factor?
Which sun protection factor is right for you?
How do you calculate the right sun protection factor?
Sun protection factor: The right protection for your skin
What does the sun protection factor indicate?
The sun protection factor (SPF) indicates how long a sunscreen protects your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation – including sunburn and premature skin aging.
What should you pay attention to besides the sun protection factor?
Not only the SPF is important, but also your skin type, the duration of sun exposure and the correct application of sunscreen.
Which sun protection factor is right for you?
Everyone reacts differently to sunlight. Your skin type—determined by skin, hair, and eye color—influences your skin's so-called intrinsic protection time.
Light skin types with a shorter natural protection time require a higher SPF than darker skin types. Therefore, it's important to tailor sun protection to the individual.
How do you calculate the right sun protection factor?
To determine the right SPF, you need to know how long you plan to stay in the sun and your skin's natural protection time. The formula is:
Planned sun time (minutes) ÷ skin's own protection time (minutes) = required SPF
An example:
If you have fair skin and brown hair and want to stay safely in the sun for 300 minutes, you need at least SPF 30 (300 ÷ 10 = 30) for a 10-minute natural protection time. Regular reapplying sunscreen is essential.
Important: The maximum time spent in the sun cannot be extended by reapplying sunscreen. After the calculated time has elapsed, you should seek shade to avoid sunburn—in the example above, this would be after 300 minutes at the latest.
