What SPF sunscreen should you use?

What SPF sunscreen should you use?

SPF 30? 50? 100? What are these mean, and what do experts recommend.

Store shelves are lined with sunscreens that contain 15, 30, 50, even 100 SPF, but a higher number doesn't always mean you get better protection.  

Your sun protection factor, or SPF, is how we measure how UVA and UVB sunscreens protect you from the sun. It determines the protection it will take for your skin to prevent burnout from the UV rays. Let's say it takes 1 hour for your skin to burn without any protection on it. 

However, this is not a real-world measure, as SPF protection is measured in a lab setting with ideal application and regular reapplying sunscreen. A combination of factors, such as sweat, water, and oils on your skin, affect how long sunscreen stays on your skin to protect.

What sun protection factor should you buy?

Different health authorities have further recommendations, although everyone agrees that SPF 15 is the minimum. For the best protection when you're out all day at the pool, park, beach, theme park, or anywhere else, SPF 30 or higher is ideal.

 Here's what the foremost health authorities are saying:

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends SPF 15 cream every day when you leave your house and SPF 30 cream if you plan to be in the sun most of the day.

The US Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend an SPF of 15 or higher and reapply every two hours.

All of these authorities agree that you should use a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which protects your skin from UVA and UVB rays. 

What's the deal with SPF 100?

However, some experts argue that SPF 100 sunscreens provide only a marginally higher level of protection than SPF 50 — they found that SPF 50 cream blocks 98% of UV rays, while SPF 100 cream blocks 99%. 

If you're particularly prone to getting sunburn, getting sunscreen with an SPF of 100 may be worth it. However, according to central health authorities, most of us would be okay with SPF 30 and above.

Sunscreen guidelines everyone should follow:

1. Everyone should wear sunscreen, no matter what color their skin is, to protect your skin from cancer

2. Sunscreen protects skin from both UVA and UVB skin damage and wrinkles.

3. Chemical and mineral sunscreens are considered effective and safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

4. All sunscreens, regardless of SPF, can chip or crack on your skin within a couple of hours — even faster if you're swimming or sweating. That's why, no matter what type of SPF you use, you need to reapply your sunscreen every two hours to get complete protection.