Summer Sunscreen Myths Busted

By
Published: May 29, 2009

» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

It's the first weekend of sun for many in our area, but the rays could be shining down some danger. We are on your side with how to protect yourself with sunscreen. News 3 set out to bust some myths.

Number one, if you put on SPF 15 and then you put on SPF 30, that doesn't equal 45 in SPF math. In fact, it's more like SPF 33.

Dr. Tom Steinberg works with the Advanced Center for Dermatology in Columbus. He says folks who have darker skin tones with more melanin are naturally better protected from the sun. Steinberg says melanin in your skin protects you from ultraviolet radiation, but remember self tanner does not do the same thing.

Another myth, don't be fooled by odd SPF's. Steinberg says the only difference between a 36 and a 30 is marketing.

Pay special attention to the SPF on the bottle, but know that numbers don’t mean everything, especially when it comes to how much sun makes it to you, “With an SPF 30 your getting just 3% of sun, with an SPF 50 your getting just 2%, so there is really very little difference you get beyond 30 SPF.”

Steinberg also reminds folks to put on one ounce of sunscreen if they are covering their entire body. The problem is people don't put on enough, and if your putting on SPF 30, and you only put on a quarter of what you need, you really have on SPF 7.

Another myth Steinberg cracked- young children are the most sensitive to the sun. Wrong, Steinberg says some older men can actually be more susceptible to burns and skin damage, but he does caution parents of newborns to keep their babies inside.

When you are shopping for sunscreen it’s easy to go for quantity over quality, but Dr. Steinberg says look for sunscreen with a high water resistance. He says if the FDA has deemed it "water resistant" it is proven to stay on for 40 minutes in the water. If a product is "very resistant" it will stay on for 80 minutes under water. You can visit Dr. Steinberg’s website for more information straight from his practice http://www.advanceddermatologycenter.com/