summer safety
- Protecting Your Skin from the Sun
- Are You Beach-Ready? Get Essential Summer Safety Tips
- Water Wisdom
- 7 Hot Tips for Supple Summer Skin
- 5 Ways to Protect Your Eyes From the Sun
- Stay Healthy While Traveling
- Get Outside and Walk
- Heat Emergencies: Knowing the Symptoms and How to React
- 3 Pool Exercises That Won't Embarrass You
- Mosquito-Borne Illnesses: What They Are and How to Prevent Them
- Outdoor Food Safety: Don't Let Spoiled Dishes Ruin Your Barbecue
- Hot Weather and Exercise: How to Safely Sweat It Out in the Summer
- Lyme Disease: How to Avoid It and How to Spot It
Protecting Your Skin from the Sun
- Have many moles or freckles on your skin
- Have a family history of skin cancer
- Live or vacation at high altitudes, where UV radiation increases
- Have autoimmune diseases such as lupus or have had an organ transplant
- Take oral contraceptives, some antibiotics, naproxen sodium or certain other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, diuretics or tricyclic antidepressants (This is only a partial list of drugs that can increase the sun sensitivity of your skin and eyes. Check out all your medications with your pharmacist or health care professional.)
Choosing the right sunscreen
While there are numerous sunscreen formulations, choose only those that are labeled "broad-spectrum." This means they block both UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens only block UVB. To get UVA protection as well, look for avobenzone (Parsol 1789) or oxybenzone as ingredients.
There's one catch, however, Dr. Berson points out: Avobenzone degrades in sunlight, so you have to re-apply it frequently. Some (but not all) Neutrogena brand sunscreens use a special technology called Helioplex™ to overcome this problem. Products containing mexoryl, a UVA filter that helps stabilize avobenzone, are sold in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, but the ingredient has not yet been approved for use in the U.S.
Don't rely solely on SPF (sun protection factor) numbers to guide you. SPF only measures UVB protection. Choose at least SPF 15, but higher is better, especially since most people don't use as much sunscreen as they should or re-apply it frequently enough. What's more, research shows that products often give less protection in sunlight than their SPF numbers suggest. Even if the SPF 30 or 45 costs a bit more, it's worth the extra expense.
You may prefer using a sunblock to a sunscreen. Sunblocks provide a physical barrier between your skin and both UVA and UVB rays, but may feel heavier. Dr. Berson recommends sunblocks containing zinc oxide or titanium oxide.
Shield your eyes from UV damage, too
