I Wonder about Sunscreen

I am something of a sunscreen fanatic. I have sunscreens for body, face, everyday activities, sports activities, beach, etc. I'm the one in the hat, offering everyone around me some lotion as I reapply.

I hadn't really considered the varying effectiveness of sunscreens - they all seemed to keep me from burning or getting too much sun (except for an unfortunate day on the ski-slopes where I used an old sunscreen from the trunk of my car. Heat and age *do* impact a sunscreen's effectiveness!)

I usually alternate between spf15 (everyday) and spf45 (beach/golf). Then I heard a news story that some group was stating that any spf higher than 30 is irrelevant and should be labeled 30+, which made me realize that I should spend a little time trying to become more sunscreen-literate.

UVB rays can cause sunburns. UVA rays can cause wrinkles and skin cancer. The SPF number refers to protection against UVB light and not UVA. The FDA is considering adding a new 'star' rating indicating how well the sunscreen protects against UVA rays, you can read the details from the FDA website here.

In the meantime, here's what I learned:

• Not all sunscreens are equally effective across UVA and UVB, even if they indicate they are 'broad-spectrum'.
• Sunscreens that indicate 'broad-spectrum' or 'UVA protection' may or may not provide protection against both long- and short-wave UVA rays.
  
• The sunscreens with the 'Skin Cancer' seal of approval have paid a one-time fee plus an ongoing yearly fee to be eligible for consideration. So, not having the seal does not necessarily mean the sunscreen is ineffective.
  
• The sunscreens with the 'American Cancer Society' seal of approval is not based on their effectiveness - the seal is to indicate that the company donates money each year to cancer research.

It turns out my face sunscreen is great, but my body sunscreen isn't very effective against UVA rays. Sad. It took me years to figure out which sunscreen I *liked* (minimal sunscreen-smell, non-greasy, readily available) and now I find out it's not as effective as it could be!

Helpful links:

• Consumer Reports (subscription required)
• NYTimes article on the sunscreen seals.