Here Cmes the Sun: Sunscreen 101 By Margeaux Amerine, Pharm.D. Sunscreen shuld be wrn every day, regardless f the weather r seasn. Sun expsure ccurs all day lng, thrugh cluds, thrugh regular glass windws f ur hmes and cars, and in the time spent walking t the grcery stre r driving in the car. Limiting sun expsure, by wearing hats/glves/sun- prtective clthing and aviding expsure between 10am-2pm, is essential. Yu shuld wear sunscreen every day n expsed areas (i.e., face, neck, V-neck chest, hands/frearms, and legs) fr bth skin cancer prtectin and defense against pht-aging. Page 1 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
Sunscreens help shield yu frm the sun's dangerus ultravilet (UV) rays in tw ways. Sme wrk by scattering the light, reflecting it away frm yur bdy. Others absrb the UV rays befre they reach yur skin. A few years ag, chsing a gd sunscreen meant yu just lked fr a high sun prtectin factr (SPF) -- which rates hw well the sunscreen prtects against ne type f cancer-causing UV ray, ultravilet B (UVB.) SPF refers t blckage f UVB rays nly. Research sn shwed that ultravilet A rays (UVA) als increase skin cancer risk. While UVA rays dn't cause sunburn, they penetrate deeply int skin and cause wrinkles. The Envirnmental Prtectin Agency estimates that up t 90% f skin changes assciated with aging are really caused by a lifetime's expsure t UVA rays. The best sunscreen ffers prtectin frm all UV light. Theretically, the best sunscreen als has the highest SPF number. It's nt that simple, hwever. When applied crrectly, a sunscreen with an SPF f 30 will prvide slightly mre prtectin frm UVB rays than des a sunscreen with an SPF f 15. But the SPF 30 prduct isn't twice as prtective as the SPF 15 prduct. Sunscreens with SPFs greater than 50 prvide nly a small increase in UVB prtectin. S which is the best sunscreen fr yu? Clearly, yu'll want a sunscreen with brad-spectrum r multi-spectrum prtectin fr bth Page 2 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
UVB and UVA. Ingredients with brad-spectrum prtectin include benzphennes (xybenzne), cinnamates (ctylmethyl cinnamate and cinxate), sulisbenzne, salicylates, titanium dixide, zinc xide, avbenzne (Parsl 1789) and ecamsule (Mexryl SX). There are tw main types f sunscreens: Organic. Als called chemical sunscreens, rganic sunscreens absrb UV radiatin and cnvert it t a small amunt f heat. This grup f active ingredients is the mst widely used in sunscreens. Organic sunscreens might cntain avbenzne, cinxate, ecamsule, menthyl anthranilate, ctyl methxycinnamate, ctyl salicylate, xybenzne r sulisbenzne. Inrganic. Als called physical sunscreens, inrganic sunscreens reflect and scatter UV radiatin. Inrganic sunscreens might cntain titanium dixide r zinc xide. Mst brad-spectrum sunscreens use bth ingredients t better blck UVA and UVB rays. S hw d yu chse? SPF 15 r higher fr UVB prtectin. The SPF factr rates hw effective the sunscreen is in preventing sunburn caused by UVB rays. If yu'd nrmally burn in 10 minutes, SPF 15 multiplies that by a factr f 15, meaning yu culd g 150 minutes befre burning.??fr Page 3 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
the vast majrity f peple, SPF 15 is fine. But peple wh have very fair skin, a family histry f skin cancer, r cnditins like lupus that increase sensitivity t sunlight shuld cnsider SPF 30 r higher.?keep in mind that the higher the SPF, the smaller the increased benefit: cntrary t what yu might think, SPF 30 isn't twice as strng as SPF 15. While SPF 15 filters ut 93% f UVB, SPF 30 filters ut 97%, nly a slight imprvement.? UVA prtectin is imprtant as well. There is n rating t tell yu hw gd a sunscreen is at blcking UVA rays. S when it cmes t UVA prtectin, yu need t pay attentin t the ingredients.??lk fr a sunscreen that cntains at least ne f the fllwing, ecamsule, avbenzne, xybenzne, titanium dixide, sulisbenzne, r zinc xide. Water and sweat resistance. If yu're ging t be exercising r in the water, it's wrth getting a sunscreen resistant t water and sweat.??but understand what this really means. The FDA defines water resistant sunscreen as meaning that the SPF level stays effective after 40 minutes in the water. Very water resistant means it hlds after 80 minutes f swimming. These sunscreens are in n way water-prf, s yu'll need t reapply them regularly if yu're taking a dip.? Page 4 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
Kid-friendly sunscreen. The sensitive skin f babies and children is easily irritated by chemicals in adult sunscreens, s avid sunscreens with para-aminbenzic acid (PABA) and benzephennes like dixybenzne, xybenzne, r sulisbenzne. Children's sunscreens use ingredients less likely t irritate the skin, like titanium dixide and zinc xide. Unlike chemical ingredients, these prtect babies' skin withut being absrbed. Fr kids 6 mnths r lder, lk fr a sunscreen designed fr children with an SPF f 15 r higher. The American Academy f Pediatrics recmmends that babies under 6 mnths be kept ut f the sun altgether.? T summarize, brand matters less than hw yu use the prduct. In general, lk fr water-resistant, brad-spectrum cverage with an SPF f at least 15. Check the sunscreen's expiratin date, and fllw the directins n the label. While chsing a sunscreen is imprtant, it wn't help much if yu dn't us it daily and crrectly. Here are sme tips. Apply generus amunts f sunscreen t dry skin 30 minutes befre yu g utdrs. Use sunscreen n all skin surfaces that will be expsed t sun, such as yur face, ears, hands, arms and lips. If yu Page 5 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
dn't have much hair n yur head, apply sunscreen t the tp f yur head r wear a hat. Reapply sunscreen every tw hurs - and immediately after swimming r heavy sweating. Remember that sand, water, snw and cncrete reflect sunlight and make it even mre imprtant t use sunscreen. Since UV light can pass thrugh cluds, use sunscreen even when it's cludy. Island Drug pharmacy ffers a wide array f quality sunscreen and sun care prducts. As always yur Island Drug pharmacist is available t answer any questins might have. References: May Clinic. Best sunscreen: Understand sunscreen ptins. http://www.mayclinic.cm/health/best-sunscreen/my01350/ WebMD. What's the Best Sunscreen? http://www.webmd.cm/beauty/sun/whats-best-sunscreen Derm101. Chsing a Sunscreen. https://derm101.cm/pdfs/sunscreens.pdf Page 6 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.
Page 7 f 7 The abve article is general infrmatin that is in n way intended t treat, diagnse, r cure any medical cnditin. Further it is nt intended, nr recmmended, that this infrmatin be used withut the supervisin f yur medical prvider.