SMyLES

It’s that time of year again. Time to be prepared to protect yourself and your family against the harmful rays of the sun. As we all know, one of the most efficient ways of protecting your skin is by applying sunscreen. However, there has been much confusion surrounding the labeling on sunscreen, which necessitated the FDA to step-in and take control. The FDA now requires clear and concise labeling on sunscreen bottles in hopes to make it easier, for you and me, to figure out which is best. Here are their new label terms and some user-friendly facts.

• New Labeling

1. Required by June 18, 2012
2. Based off research and test results
3. SPF – Protects against ultraviolet B rays
4. Broad Spectrum – Protects against ultraviolet A rays (will only be on SPF 15 and higher)
5. The Number – Indicates % of ultraviolet rays filtered out.
6. Water Resistant - Indicates the number of minutes, based on 20 minute “water time” increments, that the sunscreen will remain effective for.

• Helpful Hints

1. Time to Apply – Lather your whole body with about an ounce of sunscreen 15 minutes prior to getting in the sun.
2. Time to Reapply – Determine how quickly your skin reddens, say 4 minutes. Multiply that number by the number on the sunscreen bottle, say 30. That gives you the number of minutes the sunscreen will be effective for, 120 minutes. Remember to reapply sunscreen before the total number of minutes is up since it takes about 15 minutes to penetrate.
3. Don’t forget your lips, ears and neck
4. Don’t be afraid to wear a hat. There are plenty of styles that help prevent aging your face.

Courtesy of Good Housekeeping