The Truth about Sunscreen!

July is less than a week away and like it or not our skin will be exposed to the elements, it’s important to not lose sight of your skin’s health. Especially in middle of the summer! The "burning" question on your mind should be…"What type of sunscreen will best protect my skin from harmful rays?" When looking for the right sunscreen you need to make sure the product you are purchasing contains ingredients to offer both UVA and UVB protection.

Why?, because both types of UV rays are absorbed by the skin and cause unwanted damage and can be potentially dangerous. UVA rays cause the aging effects on your skin, while UVB rays cause the carcinogenic damage (not good). So, it is very important to protect your skin against both UVB and UBA rays. In order to protect yourself against both rays, you need to check the ingredients. For proper UVA protection you need to make sure your sunscreen includes microionized zinc oxide, avobenzone, or mexoryl (all protect against UVA).

Most people make the mistake of purchasing sunscreen with high SPF thinking it will block any and all harm rays from the sun. Unfortunately, this simply is not the case. While high SPF lotions are a good idea, the SPF alone doesn’t offer ideal protection. While SPF measures UVB it does not measure UVA. Another thing to remember is that while summer seems like the most needed time for sunscreen, UV rays do not lose their strength during the winter months. And, you do not need direct exposure to UV rays in order to receive damage, UV rays can pass through glass. Therefore, you should be in the habit of applying your sunscreen everyday at least 30 minutes before leaving the house. And, remember to reapply throughout the day if you are outdoors for an extended period of time.

Protecting and maintaining healthy skin can be difficult and require the assistance of qualified MD. Board certified Fort Myers plastic surgeon Dr. Drew Kreegel and his staff are happy to answer questions about this topic at their website.