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The following points present some important facts about the effects of solar radiation on the skin and how Sunsense has sought to address them within its sunscreen range.
Although it is recognized that ultra-violet rays are the most damaging, it is well documented that infra-red and visible light rays are harmful and additional protection from these solar rays is desirable.
Ego Pharmaceuticals pioneered sunscreen technology in 1988 by developing a sunscreen which offers this extra protection. As well as blocking ultra-violet rays, Sunsense screens infra-red and visible light rays and was the world’s first cosmetically acceptable sunscreen to do this.
The spectral dependence for cumulative damage does not parallel the action spectrum for acute injury (erythema) in human beings. Relatively small repeat doses of UV-A have been shown to lead to clinically significant epidermal changes. Protection against UV-B is not sufficient and protection against the longer wavelengths is most desirable to protect against cumulative changes.
Forty percent of the sun’s radiation that reaches the earth’s surface is infra-red. There is evidence that heat and infra-red radiation are not totally harmless, but that they may be involved in chronic skin damage including photoageing.
In all Sunsense products except Sunsense Low Irritant, absorbing chemical sunscreens are combined with microfine titanium dioxide. This imparts greater protection from UV-A rays and gives added protection to those patients with photosensitivities.
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