Summer Fun With Sunscreen

Summer is the time for fun in the sun, especially after the long cold Iowan winter. People tend to increase there time outdoors as well as expose more skin to soak up some rays while keeping cool. However with this increase in sun there is an increase in sunburn and, in the long run, an increase in the chance for skin cancer.

Sun exposure increases your risk for premature skin aging, skin cancer, and other dermatological effects. It’s these things that make it important that you wear sunscreen even if you are not someone who “burns easily.” Tans may protect you from sunburn, but they do not protect you from cancer or premature skin aging. It is important to wear sunscreen if you want to prevent the long term effects of sun exposure. The best method would be to stay inside away from the windows (not all windows protect against the sun’s ultraviolet rays) and never see the light of day, but we all know that no one would want to do this. Instead our next best option is clothing to cover skin or sunscreen.

If clothing is your choice of protection, make sure that it is opaque and sun can’t penetrate through it. Also if the clothes get wet, sunlight it more likely to penetrate, up to 50% in some articles of clothing. Hats with brims are also a good way to protect your face and neck, but it is not fool proof. Sunlight can be reflected off of concrete, windows, water, and more, so they only decrease the amount of sun exposed to the covered skin.

If sunscreen is your weapon of choice, make sure it is has a high substantivity (the ability of the sunscreen to remain effective through prolonged exercising, sweating, and/or swimming) and a broad spectrum. Ultraviolet A and B are the culprits for the negative effects of sunlight. Ultraviolet A (UVA) is often more responsible for skin aging where as ultraviolet B (UVB) is more responsible for sunburns. Both types are responsible for cancer, so it is important to protect yourself from both to decrease your chances of getting skin cancer later in life. The SPF of sunscreen only represents the ability to protect you against UVB so it is important to get a product that contains an ingredient that will protect you against UVA. Some UVA blocking ingredients to look for in sunscreens are avobenzone and ecamsule.

The kind of sunscreen you get is important, but proper application is just as important. You will want to apply it 15-30 minutes to dry skin before sun exposure to allow it to properly bind to your skin. Reapplication is another important aspect. No sunscreen is water or sweat proof and must be reapplied after a certain amount of time, depending on its substantivity. With very water resistant products, reapplication should happen at least every 80 minutes where as water resistant products should be reapplied every 60 minutes. Finally it is important to note that just because you have sunscreen on, that does not mean you can stay in the sun all day even if you apply it properly and as often as you should. The best way to determine the amount of time you can spend outside is multiply the time it would take you to turn pink by the SPF. As an example let’s say it takes you about 10 minutes to turn pink and you use SPF 30, you should only be outside for a maximum of 300 minutes. This may not seem like a long time, but it is a good rule to follow to decrease the chance of the sun’s long term effects such as cancer.

Now that you know the importance of sunscreen, what to look for in a product and proper application, I hope you will use this new knowledge and protect yourself. If you desire a tan, use a lower SPF sunscreen, or if you're one to burn to a crisp in the sun, make sure to wear a high SPF sunscreen. The more sunburns you have, especially severe ones, the greater your risk for cancer. So remember that sunscreen is your friend and will help prevent you from cancer in the future as well as help assure your skin stays youthful longer!

By Jasmine Cessna