Never has the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” been more applicable than in prevention of sun damage to the skin. The amount of skin damage I have seen in my line of work, the amount of people I know who have and are fighting the repercussions of years of overexposure to the sun, and the misinformation everyone seems to have about the products available makes the following information so important as another summer begins.
Everyone knows that sun exposure can cause a litany of skin problems, from the purely cosmetic, such as uneven pigmentation and wrinkles, to the deadly, such as melanoma. Since I’m obviously not a doctor, I’m mainly focusing on the more esthetic side of things here.
The Sun Protection Factor
Most people by now know what SPF is: Sun Protection Factor is a measure of a sunscreen’s ability to prevent UVB (the sun’s burning rays) from damaging the skin. In other words, if it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours.
There are a lot of misconceptions, however, in comparing different SPFs. The general thinking is that if an SPF of 30 should allow a person to stay in the sun for twice as long as an SPF of 15. Not true! SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent. So after SPF 30, the increase in protection is not doubled, along with the SPF, as many believe. And as you can see, no sunscreen can block all UV rays. Additionally, there are other factors to be considered: First, no sunscreen, regardless of strength, should be expected to stay effective longer than two hours without reapplication, and even less when variables such as water and sweat are added. Second, reddening of the skin is a reaction to the sun’s burning (UVB) rays and doesn’t show what UVA (aging) damage you are getting. Plenty of damage can be done without the red flag of sunburn being raised — damage that won’t appear for years — which is when you’re coming to me and asking me to reverse the pigmentation spots, wrinkles and loss of elasticity that you incurred years ago, even without ever having gotten a sunburn!
When Is Sunscreen Necessary?
Every day. Plain and simple.
Most people work under the misconception that if they’re not going to spend the bulk of the day indoors, they don’t need to use sunscreen. Wrong! If your car has windows (and if it doesn’t, you probably shouldn’t be driving it, for safety’s sake!), you are getting sun exposure. Most people I see in my treatment room have visibly more sun damage to the left side of their face than the right, since that’s the side the that’s exposed to the sun when they’re driving. And the UVA rays are longer than UVB rays and can penetrate windows much more easily, so even if you don’t see the burning damage, you still need your sunscreen.
And just because you’re not burning on a cloudy day doesn’t mean you’re not getting sun damage. At least 40% of the sun’s rays are still penetrating the cloud cover, probably more. So anytime you are outside, whether it’s for an outdoor activity or just running errands, you need sun protection.
How Much Sunscreen Is Enough?
This is the one that shocked me: to be fully effective, a full ounce is needed for a full body application. That’s a shot glass full of sunscreen for each application. Studies show that most people apply only quarter to a half of that amount, which means the actual SPF they have on their body is even lower than advertised. During a long day at the beach, one person should use around one quarter to one half of an 8 oz. bottle. Also, sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin.
Reapplication of sunscreen is just as important as putting it on in the first place, so reapply the same amount every two hours. Sunscreens should also be reapplied immediately after swimming, toweling off, or sweating.
What Kind of Sunscreen?
Many people are now jumping on the “I don’t want to use chemical sunscreens” bandwagon. And while this is a comforting thought in theory, in actuality, most people also don’t want to be plastered head to toe in an occlusive physical sunscreen like zinc oxide, either. Plus, just using a physical sunscreen, or just using a chemical sunscreen for that matter, is not giving you the maximum protection you need. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen for the best protection from UVA and UVB rays.
Many lotions and moisturizers have a sunscreen (usually SPF 15 or greater) already in them, which is often good enough for everyday activities with a few minutes here and there in the sun. However, if you work outside or spend a lot of time outdoors, you need stronger, water-resistant, beachwear-type sunscreen that holds together on your skin. The “water resistant” and “very water resistant” types are also good for hot days or while playing sports, because they’re less likely to drip into your eyes when you sweat. However, these sunscreens may not be as good for everyday wear. They are stickier, don’t work as well with makeup, can clog the pores, and need to be reapplied every two hours.
Many of the sunscreens available in the US today combine several different active chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients in order to provide broad-spectrum protection. Usually, at least three active ingredients are called for. These generally include PABA derivatives, salicylates, and/or cinnamates (octylmethoxycinnamate and cinoxate) to chemically absorb and diffuse the sun’s burning (UVB) rays. Benzophenones (such as oxybenzone and sulisobenzone) chemically diffuse the shorter-wavelength aging (UVA) rays; and avobenzone, ecamsule (MexorylTM), titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide act as physical protection to actually reflect the remaining UVA rays. These work best in combination with one another, rather than alone, to provide optimum protection.
Let Go Of The Excuses
I have heard every excuse in the book as to why people continue to bake, unprotected, in the sun. Okay, let’s face it: I have used all of those excuses myself! It wasn’t until I became a skincare therapist and saw for myself the extensive damage the sun can do, that I took the warnings seriously. And the first time I saw a sun spot on my skin, I knew: just like ants, where one appears, many are sure to follow.
So let’s let go of the excuses. Using sunscreen will not cause a Vitamin D deficiency, particularly if you live in a sunny climate. No studies have proven this myth, and if you’re really worried about it, take a supplement or eat an extra egg or helping of salmon. (But come on, are you really worried about Vitamin D, or are you really worried about your tan? Honestly.)
Not all sunscreens smell and feel disgusting, and there are so many out there, you’re bound to find one you can stomach. And down the road, when compared with hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation (light spots caused by your pigmentation cells basically giving up), and deep lines on your face that resemble road maps, to say nothing of the various forms of skin cancer, you’ll be glad you made the sacrifice and busted out the Banana Boat, even if you didn’t really want to.