Advice on selecting and using the right sunscreen

Too much sun can cause a variety of problems, from a painful sunburn to wrinkles to skin cancer-a condition that's estimated to affect 1 in 5 Americans in their lifetimes.

People can use several strategies to help protect themselves from damaging ultraviolet rays, such as finding shade during the most dangerous part of the day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., wearing barrier clothing with sun protection factor and wearing sunscreen or sunblock.

"What I tell my patients is that it needs to be sunblock," said Rita Collins, a dermatology-certified nurse practitioner at the Sanctuary. "What I mean by sunblock is it should have zinc oxide in it, at least 5 to 7 percent. It blocks out UV rays where a lot of other ingredients you find in sunscreens just deflect the light. They don't actually block rays."

Collins said sunblock with zinc oxide is hard to find, though it's sold at the Sanctuary. Collins advises people to look at the ingredient list when purchasing sun protection.

"Zinc oxide would be one of the first ingredients," Collins said.

Finding the right sunblock is important, but so is knowing how to use whatever product is purchased.

"A common mistake is people don't reapply every two hours, and they should," Collins said. "I try to reinforce reapplying every two hours. That seems to be effective, especially when it comes to kids. I'd rather them be covered. Slather it on, and who cares if it looks white, especially if you're at the beach."

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, everyone needs sunscreen, regardless of race or age, because anyone can get skin cancer.

Those who have lighter skin have more frequent burns and are at a higher risk of skin cancer, but Collins said she's taken skin cancer off people of different races and with darker skin.

"Just because a person has darker skin doesn't mean they're exempt from skin cancer," she said.

 

 

Fast Facts

  • Sunscreen should contain broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays and be SPF 30 or higher and water-resistant.
  • For added protection, dermatologists recommend seeking shade and wearing protective clothing. Also use extra caution near water, snow and sand, which can reflect the sun's damaging rays.
  • Avoid tanning beds, which can cause skin cancer and wrinkling.
  • Use enough sunscreen generously to coat all skin that will not be covered by clothing. Most people apply too little, using only 25 to 50 percent of the recommended amount of sunscreen.
  • Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before going outdoors.
  • Skin cancer can form on the lips, so apply a lip balm or lipstick that contains sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
  • Reapply sunscreen every two hours or after swimming and sweating.
  • Broad-spectrum means sunscreen protects against UVB and UVA rays and helps prevent skin cancer and sunburns.
  • Water-resistant means a sunscreen is effective for up to 40 minutes in the water and very water-resistant is effective for 80 minutes in the water.
  • Sunscreen manufacturers are now banned from claiming sunscreen is "waterproof" or "sweatproof," because the FDA determined those terms are misleading.
  • Check the expiration date on sunscreen.

-American Academy of Dermatology

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