How to remain secure in the Sun
 Next time you're running down the aisles for your summer sun
shelter, consider that manufacturers of 5 well-known
Sunblock brands are facing a class action lawsuit saying
that their claims mislead consumers about their
products' power to avoid ultraviolet rays and prevent skin damage
and cancer.
The lawsuit caused us thinking: Are we actually clear
about what sunblocks can and can't do? Perhaps not. Thus we brought
some of the biggest claims and ran them by experts.
You might prefer to take what they say—along with the
Sunblocks they use—to the beach on you this summer.
Myth 1: sunblock is totally you require to remain secure.
“Sunblock is exclusively part of the sun-protection picture,” explains Francesca Fusco, MD, an assistant clinical prof from dermatology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. “Just slathering it on and making nothing else isn't moving to cut it since, even with sunblock, there's even up to a fifty percent run a risk that you'll sunburn.” You too ask to seek shadow between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. While sunshine is strongest; cover up with clothing, a broad-brimmed hat, and UV-blocking sunglasses; make regular skin self-exams; and get a professional skin evaluation every year. Myth 2: SPF standards grades of protection versus UVB and UVA rays
The SPF (sun protection factor) measures only the level of protection versus UVB rays. But some of the 16 active ingredients authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in sunblocks also block or absorb UVA rays, says Warwick L. Morison, MD, professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins Medical School and chairman of the Skin Cancer Foundation's Photobiology Committee. Ingredients include: avobenzone (Parsol 1789), octocrylene, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide, as well as the recently approved Mexoryl SX. Be sure one of these is in your sunblock, or look for products labeled “broad spectrum,” which means they protect versus UVB and UVA rays.
Myth 3: Some sunblocks can protect whole daylight.
“Regardless of the SPF or what the label says, sunblocks must be reapplied every 2 hours,” Fusco says. “The active ingredients in most products begin to break up when exposed to the sun.” Only physical blockers like zinc oxide stay potent after two hours, but not all sunblocks are made with these ingredients. Myth 4: Some sunblocks are waterproof.
The FDA does not recognize the term “waterproof,” so do not reckon sunblock to last through hours of swimming. The agency does recognize “water/sweat/perspiration resistant” (which means a product offers SPF protection after 40 minutes of exposure to water) and “very water/sweat/perspiration resistant” (which means it still protects after 80 minutes). To be safe, reapply sunscreen after swimming or sweating. Myth 5: A sunblock can provide “total sunblock.”
“No sunblock blocks 100 percent of UV rays,” Fusco says. An SPF 15 protects 93 percent of UV rays, SPF 30 protects 97 percent, and SPF 50 deflects 98 percent. You should slather 2 tablespoons on your body a 30 minutes before going out-of-door, so the sunblock has time to absorb into your skin.
Sources : Michelle Bender
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