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Essential Information about Sunscreen
• There is no such thing as a safe tan, whether it is from the sun or a tanning booth The myth that if you tan
slowly without burning, you minimize the damage to your skin is untrue—and perhaps deadly. No source, the damage
can be hazardous to your health and is definitely hazardous to the health of your skin.
• UVB radiation is the sun's burning ray and has an immediate, harmful impact on skin. Damage from UVB rays
takes place within the very first minute of walking outside. Wow! But who wants to stay inside all the time?
So put on a good quality sunscreen and enjoy the beautiful day!
• UVA rays are the sun's silent killers. You don't feel them but they are the primary cause of skin cancer and
wrinkles. Plastic surgeons recognize that for people who drive more than they ride as passengers in vehicles,
the sun damage to the left side of their face is greater than the right. For people who are passengers more
often, the right side of their face will show more sun damage. (UVA rays penetrate through clear glass windows
that do not have a UV coating.) Protect your skin.
• The sun's rays are present and impact the skin even on a cloudy or hazy day.
Sitting in the shade or wearing a hat protects against only a portion of the sun's rays. In addition, other
surrounding surfaces such as water, cement, and grass reflect the rays from the ground to your skin giving you a
double whammy of exposure.
• Altitude is enhances the potency of the sun’s rays: for every 1,000-foot increase in altitude, the sun's
potency increases by 4%.
• According to the FDA, a product's sunscreen protection factor (SPF) number indicates how long you can stay in
the sun before getting burned. If you can normally stay in the sun 15 minutes before you start turning pink, an
SPF 15 product will let you stay in the sun for approximately 3 1/2 hours without burning.
If you begin turning pink after 10 minutes, an SPF 15 will let you stay in the sun approximately 2 1/2 hours.
The formula is (minutes) x (SPF). In this case, 10 minutes x 15 SPF = 150 (minutes), or 2 1/2 hours. If you're
perspiring or in the water, you should water-resistant sunscreen which provides 40 to 80 minutes of protection
before you should reapply it to maintain a sufficient level of protection.
• SPF is crucial, but it is only a measurement regarding sunburn (UVB) rays. It is important that your sunscreen
have UVA protection, but many sunscreens do not have ingredients that can provide true full-spectrum (both UVA
and UVB) coverage. There are no numbers to tell you about protection from UVA radiation.
• For that protection you have to check the active ingredient list to see if either zinc oxide, titanium dioxide,
avobenzone (which may also be listed as Parsol 1789 or butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane). If one of those isn't
part of the active ingredient list (it doesn't count if it is just part of the regular or "other" ingredients)
you are not applying adequate UVA protection and that is dangerous for your skin.
• Oxybenzone (also called benzophenone-3) is a UVA-absorbing sunscreen ingredient that sounds similar to
avobenzone, but is not the same. There are several sunscreen ingredients approved for use in the United
States for sunburn protection. While benzophenones and oxybenzone do provide some UVA protection, they are not
as effective as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or avobenzone.
• Examining the numbers: an SPF 2 blocks about 50% of UVB rays; an SPF 10 filters out about 85% of UVB rays; an
SPF 15 stops about 95%; and an SPF 30 stops about 97%. An SPF that's higher than 30 does not provide any more UV
protection, it just offers more time that you can stay in the sun without burning.
• If you put on double the amount of SPF 15 sunblock, you'll have SPF 30. The sun protection factor doesn't
change, no matter how much you spread on. But it's crucial to reapply often, because the active ingredients in
sunscreen break down after about two hours.
• Apply sunscreen at least 15 to 20 minutes before sun exposure. This gives the sunscreen time to absorb and to
spread over and into the skin.
• You must apply sunscreen liberally. Some studies indicate that sunscreen users are only applying 50 percent of
the recommended amount. This is especially important if you are using products containing AHA, BHA, Retin-A,
Renova, Differin, or any topical pharmaceutical retinoid. This includes Reflections’ Choice products as well.
These make your skin more vulnerable to sun damage due to the surface exfoliation and changes (removing the top
layer of sun-damaged skin) caused by using these products. Please be diligent about this advice! What good is
beautiful skin if you develop further damage and possibly cancer by careless exposure to the sun.
• You don't need sun block if you don't burn. Even if you never burn, harmful UV rays still penetrate the skin,
increasing the risk of premature aging and cancer. To make sure you're getting enough protection, Miami
dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo recommends using broad- spectrum sunscreen with one of these ingredients:
titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or Parsol 1789 (avobenzone).
• Getting sunburned is bad enough, but sunburn continues to develop for 12 to 24 hours after the initial burn
takes place! Treat a sunburn the way you would treat any other burn. Do not cover it with thick salves or
moisturizers. These will trap the heat and cause more damage. Get the skin in contact with cool (not cold or icy)
water or pure aloe vera immediately. Do not put ice directly on the skin—that's too much cold and can cause a
different kind of burn. Continue to apply the cool water or pure aloe vera on and off for several hours.
• If you have babies or small children, sunscreen protection should be of primary concern. Their delicate skin is
even more sensitive to the sun's damaging energy. All sunscreen formulations that have an SPF are regulated
carefully by the FDA; the formulations don't differ because of the age of the intended user. Please be sure that
the formulation you choose contains one of the UVA-protecting ingredients: avobenzone, titanium dioxide or zinc
oxide.
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