Sunscreen Made Simple: What You Really Need to Know

UVB rays mostly cause sunburn and they are filtered by windows

UVA rays mostly cause wrinkles, sagging and aging, and they blast through windows

SPF numbers ONLY apply to UVB, and SPF 30 keeps out 97% of UVB rays

All sunscreens need to be re-applied after 2 hrs if you are out in the sun

All sunscreens need to be re-applied after swimming or sweating excessively

No sunscreen is perfect, wear a hat and apply enough to protect you

A day at the beach will require 1/4 to 1/2 an 8oz bottle of sunscreen

Different types of sunscreens protect against different types of rays

UVB chemical blockers include chemicals such as octinoxate, octisalate

UVA chemical blockers include avobenzone, and oxybenzone

Safety concerns have been raised about avobenzone, oxybenzone and other chemical blockers but only 1-5% of what you put onto your skin actually penetrates it

UVA and UVB physical blockers include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide

Chemical sunscreens need 30 minutes to bind to the skin before they are effective

Physical sunscreens, (zinc & titanium), are effective immediately

Sunscreen does not cause Vitamin D deficiency, this is a myth

Sunscreen is still necessary on cloudy days

Look for a sunscreen, like PCA, with the “Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval

PCA sunscreen has both chemical (octinoxate), and zinc oxide for full protection

PCA has a new physical only tinted sunscreen, with both zinc and titanium

Find a sunscreen you like, approved by the Skin cancer foundation, and USE IT!