Sunscreen facts
How sunscreens and sunblocks work
- Sunblocks (i.e., physical sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide) reflect, scatter rays and act as a barrier to UVR.
- Sunscreens (chemical) absorb UVA and UVB rays.
- It has been determined microscopically that sun damage can be reversed by using sunscreens.
- Sunscreens are labeled with a sun protection factor (SPF). For example, with an SPF 15 it takes 15 times as much sun exposure to get a sunburn as compared to no sunscreen at all.