Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S where 1 in 8 people will get skin cancer in their lifetime and 1 in 50 will get melanoma. This makes skin protection important for everyone.

The best sunscreens are those that block both UVA and UVB light from damaging your skin and will last all day without reapplying. Think of UVA as the “aging” rays and UVB as the “burning” rays. Most sunscreens protect against UVB rays, while not really protecting against UVA. This explains why often people would spend a day in the sun and not burn, but notice the freckles on their skin got darker or they became more tan/brown. Most commercial sunscreens today use chemicals that absorb UVA or UVB but then over a few hours they break down and no longer work. They also often only block UVA2 and not UVA1 which also can affect your skin. The best sun protectants are sunblocks that contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These block both UVA1/UVA2 and UVB and, if applied correctly and you do not sweat or get into water, they can last all day. SPF measures only UVB protection, which causes sunburns, but does not reflect UVA protection. UVA exposure has been associated with melanoma and other kinds of skin cancer. A SPF of “2” blocks 50% of UVB radiation, a SPF of “10” blocks 90%, SPF 15 blocks 93% and SPF 30 blocks 97%. So you can see that once you get to a SPF of 15 you don't get much additional sunburn protection. You should look for a product with excellent UVA protection.

When applying sunscreens you should use one ounce to cover your entire body. The average person uses less than half that amount and so loses some benefit from the lotion. You should also limit sun exposure during the times of day when the amount of UV radiation intensity is the highest, typically between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. For a map of up-to-date UV intensity for your area, you can visit the EPA site http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html and type in your zip code. Also if you would like to research this more a great resource is http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

There are hundreds of sun protection products on the market, but most need to be applied every 90 minutes and even more often if you are sweating or in the water. One good product available at your local pharmacy is Neutrogena sunscreen with Helioplex. It does not, however, contain zinc or titanium dioxide to maximize your UVA protection. One of the best overall products on the market is Blue Lizard, which is an Australian grade product. Unfortunately, it can be more difficult to obtain as most stores don't carry it and it can often only be purchased online. They have an array of products containing micronized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which is easy on sensitive skin and absorbs in so that it doesn't leave a residue on your skin. In other words, you won’t look like you put the white stuff from a lifeguard’s nose all over your body. There are several other products which are also good, and I will try to update this post as I become aware of anything that is readily available for purchase.