You will no longer see these terms on sunscreen bottles:

• Sunblock
• Waterproof
• Sweatproof

Instead, sunscreen manufacturers may advertise how long the sunscreen is “water resistant.” Sunscreens are now also required to be broad spectrum. Broad spectrum sunscreens protect equally against UVB and UVA rays. While both types are dangerous, they affect the skin in different ways; UVB causes sunburns and UVA causes wrinkles.

In addition to these regulations, only lotions with an SPF number of 15 or higher can claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. Although a savvy consumer will be better protected by these rules, doctors remind sun bathers to reapply lotion every forty to eighty minutes.

Protection against penetrating UV-A rays may be more even more important than protection from UV-B, which are less damaging during the winter, while UV-A levels remain fairly constant throughout the year.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center recently examined ingredients in a number of facial products with labels that claim they protect against UV rays, looking for either zinc oxide or a combination of avobenzone and octocrylene.  Most did not contain adequate levels of the active ingredients needed to provide UV-A protection.   Some of the products that claimed effectiveness against UV-A actually had none of these ingredients at all.  Only 1 in 5 of these products contained enough of the right ingredients to provide adequate protection.

So, if your sunscreen claims to provide both UV-B and UV-A protection, take a close look at the ingredients listed on the label to see if it contains “the right stuff.”  If it doesn’t measure up, or you are concerned about whether it contains enough of these active ingredients, ask Dr. Keith LaFerriere or Dr. Matt Kienstra to recommend a product that does.

According to a study recently published in Archives of Dermatology, the best strategy seems to be warning them that ultraviolet rays destroy collagen and cause leathery, wrinkled skin.  “The fear of looking horrible trumped everything else,” says June Robinson, a professor of dermatology and senior author of the study. “They’re not worried about skin cancer, but they are worried about getting wrinkled and being unattractive.”

Genetics could be a factor, but they most likely began following these sensible rules while they were still young:

1. Minimize ultraviolet exposure by avoiding the sun and tanning salons.  When they do have to be in the sun, they protect their skin by applying a sunscreen with an appropriate level of UVA and UVB protection to the face, ears, neck, and the backs of the hands.
2. Don’t smoke, because smoking encourages wrinkling by depriving the skin of oxygen and creating lines and (eventually) deep grooves around the mouth.
3. Cleanse properly with warm (never hot) water and a gentle skin cleanser to remove makeup and excess oil.  Be gentle…use your fingertips, not a terry cloth or scrubber, and never pick at blemishes.
4. Drink water, moisturize, eat well, and sleep well.  These habits are good for your general health, too…not just your skin.

It’s never too late to start taking better care of your skin!

What do REAL doctors think about that message?  “You’re getting one side of the story at best,” Dr. Kienstra says. “At worst, it’s deliberately misleading.”

REAL doctors know the other side of the story, the side that tanning salons won’t tell you: tanning causes early wrinkles and age spots.  In fact, more than 80% of the signs of skin aging in adults result from tanning when they were teenagers.  That “glow” that tanning salons sell is actually a symptom of injury to the top layers of the skin, which may begin to sag and stretch prematurely.  Tanning also causes irregular coloring (“age spots”), and since it stretches small blood vessel near the skin’s surface, it can leave the face with a reddish appearance long after the tan has faded.

Much of this premature aging and many skin cancers can be prevented by protecting the skin with sunscreen, yet many people go out of their way to tan. Go figure.