What You Need to Know About Sunscreen

If you're like most people, you enjoy spending time outdoors and feeling the heat of the sun on your skin. But not all the sun's rays are pleasing. Ultraviolet (UV) light — invisible, but intense rays from the sun — can damage your skin and increase your risk of skin cancer.

Though it's not the only safeguard you need to take, sunscreen is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin and is a good first line of defense.  Sunscreen agents are used to prevent sunburn. Limiting your exposure to the sun and using sunscreen agents when in the sun may help prevent early wrinkling and skin cancer. There are two kinds of sunscreen agents: chemical and physical. Chemical sunscreen agents protect you from the sun by absorbing the ultraviolet (UV) and visible sun rays, while physical sunscreen agents reflect, scatter, absorb, or block these rays.

Sunscreen agents often contain more than one ingredient. For example, products may contain one ingredient that provides protection against the ultraviolet A (UVA) sun rays and another ingredient that protects you from the ultraviolet B (UVB) sun rays, which are more likely to cause sunburn than the UVA sun rays. Ideally, coverage should include protection against both UVA and UVB sun rays.

All sunscreens products include an SPF, which stands for sun protection factor. The SPF number is a measurement of the amount of UVB protection — the higher the number, the greater the protection. Currently, there's no standard rating system that measures UVA protection.

SPF is not an indication of how much time you can spend in the sun. For example, if you use a sunscreen with an SPF 30 rather than one with an SPF 15, it doesn't mean you can stay in the sun twice as long. In reality, an SPF of 15 filters out about 93 percent of the UVB rays; SPF 30 filters about 97 percent of UVB rays. The beneficial effects of sunscreen decreases over time, so after a few hours the difference between the two may be even less.

Don't rely on the SPF factor to decide how long you're safe in the sun and don't count on your skin to tell you when you've had too much sun. It may take up to 24 hours for sunburn to develop fully.

Sunscreen products are available with and without your doctor's prescription. If you are using this medicine without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label.

If you have additional questions or would like information on sunscreen products please contact Steve Adkins or Kay West.