Short of staying out of the sun altogether, sunscreen is a person’s next best defense against premature skin aging and skin cancer. Sunscreen should be used any day that you’ll be in the sun for a total of 20 minutes or more. But, apparently most of us use only about a quarter of the sunscreen quantity needed to get the full SPF protection. To get the full benefit, you need to slather on a lot of the stuff — about 2 milligrams of product per square centimeter of skin.
Sunscreen is an effective way to prevent sunburn but do not rely on it to protect you from skin cancer. The SPF (sun protection factor) number on a sunscreen product will tell the user how effective the product is against the effects of the sun. A rating of SPF 2 in minimal protection, while an SPF rating of 30 or more is maximum protection and will not even allow tanning. Most physicians recommend a sunscreen of at least SPF 15 for adults and children.
Make sure the sunscreen protects against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight. The SPF rating applies only to UVB rays. Even broad-spectrum sunscreens are not very good in filtering out UVA rays.
Use sunscreens that combine UVA sunscreen (oxybenzone) with vitamins C and E. When combined with vitamin C, vitamin E helps prevent skin damage from ultraviolet light.
An effective sunscreen will contain at least 5% PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). Because some people experience an allergic reaction to PABA, there are new sunscreens available. Some of these contain benzophenone, which shields a wide spectrum of light rays but is not as effective against the damaging ultraviolet rays as PABA is.
The sunscreens containing zinc oxide are very effective, but not very attractive.
For information on what UVA, UVB, sun sensitivity, and SPF all mean read this article.
What do you mean, not attractive? I thought we all looked very cool in the Eighties with our blue and yellow warpaint and our white noses.
Clinique’s City Block sunblock is made with zinc and does not look bad at all, but it’s expensive.
I’ve been a sunlover my whole life long but so many people I know were diagnosed with “pre-cancerous” patches that I started being really cautious about sun exposure 6 years ago.
I discovered that if you ask your pharmacist for zinc oxide you can get it much cheaper than buying products including it.
I am careful to wear sunscreen these days.
I sure wish I’d been smarter when I was a teen.
I’ve been wearing sunscreen (slathering it on) for about 8 years now. Like you I wish I had used it as a teen. Several people I know have been diagnosed with pre-cancerous state patches and I’m hoping I won’t develop them too.