Before basking in the sun this summer, loaded with your beach towel and hat, you'll want to throw in a good bottle of sunscreen. The sun isn't particularly kind to us over the years, causing premature aging and skin cell damage from the harsh UVB and UVA rays. The UVA rays can be particularly harmful, as they can penetrate to the deeper skin cells, and cause skin cancer. Unfortunately, UVA rays are the ones that facilitate tanning, making tanorexics more susceptible to tissue damage.
So how do we know which sunscreens will protect us from which rays the best? According to Dr. Henry Lim, a dermatologist from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a sunscreen bottle with a label of SPF 15 blocks 93% UVB rays, while an SPF 50 bottle blocks about 98%. Essentially, bottles boasting 70-100 SPF are misleading, promoting a false protection that might encourage beach-goers to stay in the sun longer.
Currently, the FDA is working on a more comprehensive approach to sunscreen labeling, which will include not just the SPF number, but the star-rated system of how well the product protects against UVA rays. Set to be finalized in October, the Environmental Working Group, an organization advocating better sun-safety standards, is campaigning to move things along, as the labels won't take affect until 2012.
The temporary solution would be to choose a sunscreen that is SPF 15, and cover up with hats and sunglasses. The Environmental Working Group also lists their top sunscreen recommendations, suggesting 39 of the 500 they've tested for UV protection. Here are a few they listed to take into consideration before you lather up.
-Soleo Organics
-Purple Prairie Botanicals
-Loving Naturals
-UV Natural
-California Baby
-Desert Essence
-Glytone
And since sunscreen alone isn't enough to keep us from wrinkling, there's no reason our bottles of Resveralite shouldn't fit in the beach bag too.
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