By wearing sunscreen, you’ll reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. Everyone should wear sunscreen except for babies younger than 6 months. Look for a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 that’s labelled “broad spectrum.” When outdoors, reapply your sunscreen every two hours.
And if the doctor’s urgings aren’t enough to convert you to an SPF die-hard, maybe the label updates and clarified information will be convincing enough for you to take sunscreen as seriously as your daily meal.
- Yes, you really do need an SPF 30 or higher. The golden rule of sunscreen is now to choose a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. The 30 blocks out about 97 percent of UV rays, while SPF 15 blocks out only 93 percent. Use SPF 50, which blocks out 98 percent of UV rays.
- For total protection, look for “broad spectrum” on the label. Not all sunscreens are created equal, which is why doctors urge their patients to use a broad spectrum version to protect their skin against both UVA and UVB rays.
- Even darker skin tones need to cover up. Don’t use your skin tone as an excuse to skip the SPF. Studies show that the darkest-toned skin is an SPF 13.4, while Caucasian skin comes in at around SPF 3.4. And according to the FDA’s final ruling in 2011, these numbers are not high enough for a sunscreen to be able to claim that it prevents sunburn, accelerated skin aging, or skin cancer.
- SPFs 2-4 are totally useless. As of 2013, sunscreens with these low numbers must display a warning that the product has not been shown to help prevent skin cancer or early skin aging.
- No sunscreen is waterproof or sweat proof. Another feature of the new labelling system requires that manufacturers not make claims that sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweat proof.” Instead, SPFs may say “water-resistant” and must specify whether they protect the skin for 40 or 80 minutes of swimming or sweating based on standard testing, according to the FDA.
- After two hours outside, reapply. It’s not just that the lotion can rub off or fade after two hours; new requirements say that a company cannot claim that its sunscreen provides protection for more than two hours without submitting test results to prove it.
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- Keep babies younger than six months out of the sun. For starters, it’s a bad idea to apply sunscreen to infants because of the unique anatomical differences between infant skin and adult — or even children’s — skin, referring to the different thickness, acidity, and sensitivity of a baby’s skin. “Therefore, babies need to be physically protected by staying out of the sun, and by using clothing or covers” when they are in the sun.
- SPF numbers can be tricky. Do you really know what those digits to the right of the “SPF” labelling stands for? In theory, it’s the amount of time you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned. For example, if you would normally burn after 10 minutes, a sunscreen with SPF 15 should allow you to stay out for 150 minutes before burning. But experts agree that, often, those numbers don’t translate into real life. “The intensity of the UV factors into it as does the time of day and the amount that is applied to the skin. Bottom line: apply generously, and reapply often.
- Never, ever use sunscreen to create body art. There’s a new trend growing around the in which people are using the presence of UV light – and lack thereof – to create sunburn tattoos on their bodies. This results in burns in different shapes or outlines based on where sunscreen is positioned. There is a right way to apply sunscreen, and that’s just not it.
- Not all sunscreens are created the same — some may be toxic. Don’t buy the first one that you see, and instead find one that’s just right. According to the Environmental Working Group, you should you avoid ingredients like oxybenzone, which can enter the bloodstream or trigger allergic skin reactions, and retinyl palmitate, which may speed development of skin tumour and lesions. Instead recommends looking for products that use zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as active ingredients.