Summer Skin Care

In the summer months, it is important to protect your skin, whether that’s by wearing layers of clothing that covers your skin, a hat, or sunscreen. How effective is your sunscreen? What is exactly in your sunscreen, or what should be in it?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has an annual sunscreen guide they put out to help people determine how safe their sunscreen is. Unfortunately, they found that 75% of sunscreens didn’t provide adequate sun protection or had chemicals that may be harmful.

According to the FDA, many sunscreens use ingredients that need additional safety testing. Sunscreens that include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are ones that block the most dangerous sun rays. The FDA also noted that spray sunscreens, as convenient as they are, may not properly cover your skin and may cause risk due to inhalation.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are a few more things to consider when purchasing sunscreen. The sunscreen you choose should be “broad spectrum”, which will protect from both, UVA and UVB rays. You need to protect yourself from these rays as they can both cause skin cancer. Sunscreen that has a SPF of 30 or higher helps protect against UVB rays, which can lead to skin cancer and premature aging. The last thing to consider when purchasing sunscreen is to note if it’s “water resistant”, which does not mean its water proof. Therefore, it’s important to reapply every two hours when in water or sweating.