Are you choosing the right sunscreen

It’s summer and we all know how important it is to protect our skin but are you choosing the right sunscreen?  Are you doing more harm than good?

Sunscreen choices

There are so many choices when it comes to sunscreen.  When I was younger, sunscreen was available but information about why you should use a good SPF was not.  Because of that, my friends and I would go to the beach and use suntan oil so that we’d get a deep dark tan.  The darker we got the better and if someone got burned, no worried thought anything about it.

Are you choosing the right sunscreen?

Fast forward a few years and I started to hear the messages about skin cancer and skin damage.  As we age, we hear more and understand more.  Plus, the aging process makes us pay more attention.  When I heard someone say, ‘Are you choosing the right sunscreen’ I started wondering if I knew all there was to know.

Sunscreen labels

It’s well known now that sunscreen is essential if we want to stay healthy and keep our skin free of any damage from UV rays – and this includes skin cancer.  According to the Environmental Working Group, only about 25% of the products on the market have the right protection or don’t contain bad skin care ingredients – you know, the ones that cause health problems like endocrine disruptors.

In fact, much of the sunscreen labels are confusing or misleading.  This is common practice in the cosmetic’s industry and I’ve even been fooled.  Read more about that here:  Watch the cosmetic thieves.  But, back to the confusing labels…

SPF’s

Choosing the right SPF is important but we are often confused by the numbers.  SPF’s with higher numbers don’t really give you more protection – you might think that a 75 SPF is better than a 30 but it really isn’t as long as you are applying it regularly AND properly.  So, again, are you choosing the right sunscreen?  Do you know how to choose the best sunscreen?

In addition to the proper sunscreen, you should also pay attention to when you plan on being outside.  Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you go out during the hottest part of the day?
• Do you wear a hat?
• Are you covering up?  For example, are there other ways you can protect your skin – such as with long sleeves, long pants, etc.
• Do you put sunscreen on all parts of your exposed skin?
• How old is the sunscreen you are using?  Check the expiration date – if it’s from last year, it’s too old and needs to be thrown out!
• Lastly, are you choosing the right sunscreen!

We’ll dive deeper into this topic in the coming days but for now, make sure you are using sunscreen and you choose the best clothing and time of day to be in the sun to keep your skin looking it’s best.  Otherwise, you could be giving yourself more wrinkles by not choosing wisely.