Do You Need to Wear Sunscreen Indoors?

You already know you should slather on sunscreen and reapply every time you go on a walk, run errands, or head to the beach, but what about the days without the sun? Do you get a pass on rainy, gray days or when you're working from home or on the couch binge-watching Netflix? . . .

Do You Need to Wear Sunscreen Indoors?

The short answer is yes. As if exposure to UV rays from sunlight wasn’t bad enough, our skin has another enemy: high-energy visible (HEV) light. Also referred to as blue light, HEV light is primarily from the sun, but it’s also emitted by your smartphone, tablet, TV, computer screen and fluorescent bulbs

UV rays can pass through glass windows. Glass windows filter out UVB rays but UVA rays can still penetrate.  UVB rays are associated with immediate damage such as sunburns, while UVA rays are associated with long-term skin damage such as premature aging.   

It’s important to wear SPF when you’re in the car. A lot of UV aging occurs while driving. You should apply SPF to all exposed areas of skin, especially your hands, face, neck, and chest 

Does Sunscreen Protect Against Blue Light?

Not all sunscreens protect against blue light. Physical sunscreens (like the Mineral Sunscreens below) which contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide do. Physical sunscreens bounce light off the surface of your skin to protect it from damaging HEV rays

The bottom line:

Staying inside all day doesn’t fully shield you from the risks of UV exposure. UVA/B damage and HEV blue light damage are cumulative. This means that the more you're exposed to it, the more your skin is at risk. SPF may feel like one more thing on your never-ending to-do list, but you’ll be thankful when you’re older.

"Nothing looks better in your 50s than Sunscreen in your 20s" 

                                                      

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