Guest Post: How to choose the right sunscreen

This post written by Tammy Mahan who has 20 years of healthcare experience and enjoys sharing her knowledge by writing for Healthline.com. 

How to Choose the Right Sunscreen

Choosing the right type of sunscreen may be more important than you realize. Not all sunscreens are created equally. You may come across two different brands of sunscreen but there is one significant thing that needs to listed on the bottle. That is protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

According to the skin cancer organization, the sun emits two types of rays. The first is UVA (ultraviolet radiation) the A signifies that it is a long wave. This means that UVA rays penetrate the Earth’s ozone layer and can reach you. The UVA rays are what cause your skin to wrinkle, sag and leather. 

UVB rays are a short wave ray that can also penetrate the ozone layer of Earth can still reach you. During the hottest part of the day between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm, these rays cause sunburns.

They are also reflective rays, which mean that approximately 80% of the rays reflect off of something such as water, snow, or any reflective surface. Unlike the UVA ray, the UVB ray hits you not once but twice because of the reflection. This is why you can get sunburn in the middle of the winter.

UVB rays are more dangerous than UVA rays, they are often the cause of skin cancer. However, make no mistake the UVA can also cause skin cancer if you spend a prolonged period in the sun without sunscreen. 

Therefore, wearing sunscreen all year round is important to protecting your skin.  The minimum SPF protection you can buy is 15. This SPF will provide you with protection from roughly 93% of the rays. A sunscreen with an SPF of 30 filters out roughly 97% of the sun’s rays and a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 filters out 98% of the rays.

Tips for Choosing a Sunscreen

• Babies under 6 months old cannot wear sunscreen (even some bottles say it is safe for them) Babies can have a chemical reaction to the ingredients in sunscreen. Therefore, to keep your baby safe from some the sun’s rays, dress them in light cotton long sleeves and pants so their skin is covered from the sun. Also, put a hat on their little heads. 

• Children 6 months of age and older should wear sunscreen with an SPF of 50 when outside. If they are indoors and near windows they should wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 – UVB rays can penetrate glass (UVA rays cannot.)

• If it is possible, keep your babies and toddlers out of the sun between 1 pm and 3 pm when the sun is the hottest.

• Teenagers and adults should wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30, if you will be in the water or on a boat use SPF 50.

How Much Sunscreen Should You Apply & How Often

The recommended amount for children and adults is 1 ounce every 2 hours. Perspiration soaks up the sunscreen. If you are swimming, wear a waterproof sunscreen and still reapply it every 4 hours.

If you are spending the entire day in the sun from 10 am to 4 pm, you should use about a half of an eight-ounce bottle through the day.

Sunscreens also needs to be put on at least 30 minutes before going out into the sun so it has time to bind to your skin and work properly.