Is it really important to wear sunscreen?
Yes. You should wear it every day as part of your daily routine.
Sunscreen blocks skin cancer. In fact, 90% of skin cancers are preventable with sunscreen.
What SPF should I use?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests an SPF of 30 and above. That gives us a range so that if we only put on say, half of what we’re supposed to, we’re still getting an SPF of 15.
How much sunscreen should I use, and when should I re-apply?
You want to put about 1 oz of sunscreen on your face, and for your whole body at least 2 oz. Each ounce is about the size of an egg.
You should re-apply every 2 hours, but most people don’t.
What ingredients should we look for in a sunscreen?
The FDA is slowly but surely trying to convert our patients to mineral based sunscreen, which have zinc oxide and titanium oxide.
Most sunscreens that are over the counter in the stores will have a bunch of chemicals in them. The less amount of chemicals, the better the sunscreen.
The higher the percentage of zinc and titanium, the better the sunscreen.
What are some ingredients that are toxic?
If you see ingredients with the “octos” and “o’s” those can be toxic to coral reefs. We’re still not sure if it’s dangerous for humans, because we’re not putting enough sunscreen on our bodies to cause toxicity in our blood.
What about Vitamin D levels?
I always tell patients that you should swallow your Vitamin D, and not rely on getting it from the sun.
You’d have to be in the sun for several hours before you got the actual blood levels of Vitamin D that you need to stay safe. Therefore, I suggest that everyone takes Vitamin D orally, at least 2000 units.
Now and the next few summer months are the most important time to protect yourself from the sun! So please keep this advice in mind to stay healthy and prevent skin cancer.
