Misconceptions About The Sun And Your Skin

 

If you're planning on spending more time outside this summer, you'll need to know how to take care of your skin. There are a lot of misconceptions and rumors out there about how to best do this, but I can tell you from personal experience that some of them are not true! For instance, my tanned, olive complexion didn't keep me from getting a sunburn. My nephews still get sunburned when it's cloudy outside. You can still get burned...well, you get the idea. Here are a few misconceptions about the sun that you should know.

• Higher SPF numbers=better protection against harmful rays. This is partly true. A sunscreen's Sun Protection Factor refers to the number of times it multiplies your skin's natural protection against UVB rays. For instance, SPF 15 means that it provides fifteen times your skin's natural protection. However, notice that I didn't mention UVA rays, which are also responsible for damage and skin cancer; that's because SPF doesn't mention them either. Instead of going on a number that only refers to UVB protection, look for a sunscreen with 'UVA/UVB' or 'broad-spectrum' protection. Also, it's not necessary to get an SPF over 30 or 50 because they both still provide protection against 97-98% of UVB rays. You might not have to reapply higher-factor sunscreens as often as you would the others, but that's about the only advantage.
• Darker-complexioned people don't need sunscreen. While our higher levels of melanin do afford us more (but not absolute) protection from sunburn than we'd have if we were fairer, there is still the risk of skin cancer or other types of damage. The risk might not be as high as that of our lighter-skinned friends, but it does happen. In fact, the death rates from skin cancer are often higher among people with dark or black complexions because we don't think to look for it and thus don't get it treated early enough!
• You don't need sunscreen on a cloudy day. The sun's harmful rays can still get through clouds.
• If my kids wear waterproof sunscreen, I don't need to reapply it after they swim. This is false. So false that, starting in December of 2012, the FDA will require that manufacturers stop labeling their sunscreens as being 'waterproof' or 'sweat-proof' because there is no such thing. All sunscreens will need to be reapplied after swimming or sweating a lot because they do wash off. A sunscreen can be 'water resistant', but that's not the same thing as 'waterproof'.
• You can't get sunburned underwater. The sun's rays can still penetrate water. In fact, they can often reflect off of ocean or pool floors! While the reflection off of the water can make parts above water (shoulders, face) more likely to burn, the rest of you can burn too.
• If a fair-skinned person gets enough freckles, they will run together and look like a tan from a distance. This was a joke we used to make to my redheaded mom. If you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona you might be interested in.

As you can see, there are a lot of myths about the sun and our skin floating around out there. If you want more information about the FDA's opinions regarding labeling, visit this site.