By Shelley Levitt
Don't feel the burn: Use these tips for a safer summer.
Slathering on sunscreen before heading outdoors is a year-round must-do — but with so many lotions, gels and sprays available in a wide range of Sun Protection Factor (SPF), it’s tough to know how to choose the right one. Here, some insight for the next time you’re sifting through the sunblock display:
- Know the numbers. Since sunscreens are classified as a drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, their labels must include a list of all active ingredients and their concentrations. SPF ratings are also regulated by the FDA. These numbers are a multiple of how much time you can spend in the sun without getting a sunburn if you apply sunscreen properly (a teaspoon for each arm, leg, front of body and back of body, and half a teaspoon for the face). For example, if you normally burn after 10 minutes in the sun, applying SPF 15 gives you 150 minutes of protection. Sunscreen products must also include an expiration date.
- Go for “broad spectrum.” Many experts believe the label requirements don’t go nearly far enough. “Right now, when you look at a tube of sunscreen, you get information about how much protection you have against the sun’s shorter-length UVB rays, the ones that cause sunburn,” says dermatologist Monica Halem, M.D., an assistant professor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University. (Her top sunscreen picks: Neutrogena Age Shield Sunblock SPF 45 with Helioplex and La Roche-Posay Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream with Mexoryl SX.) “But there is no monitoring system that provides reliable information about UVA radiation, the longer rays that go deeper and can lead to premature aging and skin cancer. This lack of information is leaving consumers confused.” For now, most experts agree that a “broad spectrum” sunscreen — imperfect as that term may be — offers the best protection available against both ultraviolet A and B radiation.
- Check the ingredients. There are two types of sun protection: chemical sunscreens that absorb UV radiation, and physical sunblocks that reflect or scatter UV rays. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the two most common ingredients in physical sunblocks and both provide protection against UVA and UVB rays. Lots of chemical screens, including octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate) and benzones (such as dioxybenzone and oxybenzone), will protect against UVB radiation and some, but not all, UVA rays. For better protection against UVA rays, look for the ingredient avobenzone (Parsol 1789) or Mexoryl.
For more tips on how to read skin-care labels, check out the July/August issue of VIVmag!
Tags: Health, Hiking equipment, Lotion, Prevention, Safety, Security, Skin care, Sun tanning, Sunscreen
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3 Reader Comments:
Have you consulted the Environmental Working Group’s information on safe sunscreens? They have a web site. I lean toward using only organic products which contain zinc oxide which block the rays. Chemicals on my skin absorbing the rays seems like a perfect recipe for cancer or other skin problems.
The Environmental Working Group’s 2009 Sunscreen Investigation examined 1,612 name-brand products, so it is a helpful resource that reiterates this article’s three criteria for choosing the right sunscreen, as well as detailing other findings.
If checking on EWG.org in 2010, be sure to look up which sunscreens contain nano particles. There is little research on nano-size particles and there is some concern that they can enter the bloodstream. Since zinc oxide usually leaves a white film on the skin, some companies are now using nano particles of zinc oxide so it can be rubbed in, but it may be going further into the body than you realize.
EWG has a link to their cosmetics database which provides more information.
I really am enjoying reading VIV, and love that it is online. Good work.