HEALTH
good for you/bad for you // SPF 30 AND ABOVE
sometimes it's hard to tell.
The pre-summer sun is too juicy to miss out on, but properly caring for your skin is too important to forget. Wearing sunscreen on a regular basis now means avoiding wrinkles and sun damage later, but with SPF levels ranging from four to 70, there's a lot to choose from. Going with the highest number might not always be doing what you think.
Sunscreens should protect from both ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays. UVB rays cause sunburn; UVA rays give that glorious tan, but the far-from glorious wrinkles. Sun protective factor, or SPE, is an indication of how well the sunscreen protects against UVB rays, says Charles Ericsson, professor at the University of Texas Medical School.
"Protection from UVA as well as UVB rays are typically found in the higher SPF numbers over 30," Ericsson says.
However, don't pay more for the sunscreens with SPFs higher than 50. The FDA and the American Academy of Dermatology are working to restructure the SPF levels, says H.L. Greenberg, dermatologist and clinical associate professor at the University of Nevada. SPE 50 will be the highest level once the changes have been finalized he says.
"You can go as high as you want, but anything
after 30 isn't going to make much difference," he says.
VERDICT: BE CAREFUL
Sunscreen is good, but SPF's higher than 30
won't protect you more
// ADAM VOSSEN
Photo illustration by Adam Vossen
Fun in the sun: Getting a dose of Vitamin D can be good for your health, but make sure you put on a sunscreen to protect from UVB and UVA lays. Protection ranges from SPF four to 70, however, research shows you don't really need anything higher than SPF 30.
05 10
06
10