Man with sunscreen on nose.

Sunscreen is the fashion accessory you must have this summer. It doesn't come cheap. And you'll have to choose from a bewildering array of styles and sizes. But it's the only reliable way to save your skin from unsightly wrinkles and devastating disease. If you want to look good and stay healthy, you'll wear it. Here's what you need to know.

Why use sunscreen after 50?

Experts say that most of the sun damage our skin will endure over our lifetime has already occurred by the time we reach our early 20s. So is there even a point to using sunscreen in later years? The answer from experts is an emphatic "Yes!"

Here are the reasons, according to Ira Davis, MD, a Hartsdale, NY dermasurgeon specializing in skin cancer surgery:

  • At any age, without sunscreen you can get a bad sunburn that causes pain, blistering, and peeling.
  • Sunscreen can prevent you from getting excessive wrinkles and age spots.
  • Most important, sunscreen may protect you from developing skin cancer.

"No one knows exactly when skin cancer will develop," says Davis. "The sun can still damage your skin now, in addition to any damage you accumulated in your teens and twenties." And it just might be the sun damage we sustain after age 50 that causes one of three types of disfiguring and dangerous skin cancers--basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma. One out of five people will develop one of these skin cancers in his or her lifetime, Davis adds.

Selecting a sunscreen

"Your best bet is to buy a broad-spectrum sunscreen product that protects against both UVA and UVB radiation," says Davis. Most experts advise against using products that combine sunscreen and insect repellant because there is no firm research on how each compound affects the other.

  • UVB protection. Davis suggests purchasing sunscreen with an SPF between 15 and 30. An SPF of 15 provides 93 percent protection from UVB rays, a major cause of skin cancer. An SPF of 50 provides only a little more protection from UVB rays: 97 percent.

  • UVA protection. This is important because "We now know that UVA--longer rays that penetrate the skin's deeper levels--cause wrinkling and pigmentation of the skin and also contribute to skin cancer development," Davis says. Both UVB and UVA radiation suppress the immune system, he adds. There is no rating system for UVA rays akin to the SPF for UVB rays, but the latest sunscreen products contain at least three active ingredients that protect against UVA radiation: zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and avobenzene and oxybenzone (or similar products). New lines of sunscreen products from Aveeno and Neutrogena contain a molecule that helps make the protective ingredients more effective over a longer period of time, Davis adds.

  • Water resistance. Davis recommends that you look for a water-resistant sunscreen, "But make no mistake about it. No sunscreen will stay on after excessive perspiration or swimming," he warns. "Reapply sunscreen after vigorous exercise or swimming--or every two hours in hot weather." And remember: The sun's rays can still cause damage on a cloudy day.




Get the sun protection you need


Purchasing the right sunscreen is a first step toward protecting yourself from damaging exposure. Here are some other measures the experts recommend.

Apply sunscreen liberally. One big mistake that people make is not putting on enough sunscreen. "Apply one ounce [two tablespoons or one shot-glass full] of sunscreen over the parts of your body exposed to the sun," says Davis. "And put it on at least 15 to 30 minutes before going out. This gives your skin time to absorb it."

Limit your exposure. Remember, too sunscreen is only your first line of defense against sun damage. If possible, avoid exposure between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun is at its strongest. And don't assume that a high SPF gives you license to spend extra hours in the sun.

Wear protective clothing. A wide-brimmed hat and a classy pair of sunglasses are excellent protective measures. In addition, "Long pants and shirtsleeves are important to wear in the sun because they serve as a barrier against the radiation, but only if the fabric is tightly woven -- so you can't see through it when you hold it up to the light," says James Campbell, MD, a Dover, New Hampshire dermatologist on the Dartmouth Medical School faculty. "If your clothes get wet, they no longer provide protection and may, in fact, increase absorption of the sun's damaging rays," he notes. Fortunately, some manufacturers now make clothing with a high built-in SPF factor; these fabrics will protect you even when wet. (See "Follow up now"). The clothes are stylish, lightweight, and great for golfing, gardening, or other activities in the sun.

Make it easy. Dr. Campbell says you can "Make sunscreen a habit, a regular part of your life and routine," if you make it easy and convenient. His suggestions:

  • Use a moisturizer containing a broad-spectrum sunscreen under make-up or after shaving.
  • Stock up on sunscreen so that you won't run out. Keep an extra tube in your car, purse, or briefcase so that you can reapply it during the day. Look for packages of pre-moistened sunscreen wipes that you can conveniently store. Keep a tube of sunscreen near the door so that you don't have to go back upstairs to the bathroom to apply it.
  • Don't feel restricted to only one type of sunscreen. Get a lotion to apply first thing in the morning and a spray-on to use later on.
  • Get used to applying sunscreen every day. Even in the winter, you can get sun damage from radiation reflected by snow, or at high altitudes when you ski.


Follow up now

Coolibar sun protective clothing
Sunprotectionzone.com sun protective items for adults and children
The Skin Cancer Foundation