Sun and tanning beds cause skin cancer and premature aging (wrinkles).  In fact, many skin products that are advertised as “anti-aging” actually have nothing extra but sunscreen added in.  In the midst of the summer time sun, here are a few reminders on keeping your skin protected from the sun’s rays.

  1. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15-30 depending on your skin type.

The amount of protection a sunscreen gives from the sun is measured by its SPF (Sun Protective Factor).  This is calculated by taking the amount of time required to cause redness with the sunscreen divided by the amount of time required to cause redness without the sunscreen.  So, for a person who normally would burn in 20 minutes, an SPF of 10 would protect that person from the sun for about 200 minutes before burning occurs.  This of course means that the same SPF does not work for everyone- it is dependent on your skin type.  Clothing helps protect you as well but keep in mind that a typical white t-shirt has an SPF of about 3.

2.  Regardless of skin type or SPF, sunscreen needs to be re-applied about every 2 hours and after swimming, drying off or sweating.

Sunscreens are just lotions, gels, sprays, etc that will eventually wear off- especially when you get wet or are just wiping it right back off when you dry off after a dip in the pool.  If you don’t reapply you are most likely loosing the effectiveness of wearing the sunscreen in the first place after the first 2 hours in the sun.  Some dermatologists say the higher the SPF the better, but regardless of the SPF you still need to reapply frequently.  (Don’t do the math and decide you can stay out in the sun for 12 hours without putting on more sunscreen!)

3.  Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes to 1 hour before sun exposure. Give it time to be absorbed into your skin before you jump in the pool and wash it all off.

4.  Spend some time in the shade- especially between the hours of 10 am to 4 pm when the sun’s rays are the strongest.