
- Avoid
- If possible, stay indoors or seek shade during peak sun hours
- Shadow rule: if your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun is more directly positioned overhead and you are receiving more direct UV rays
- Block
- Wear a wide brimmed hat (ideally a 6” brim all around)
- Wear sunglasses with UV protection that block 99 or 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Wrap around style or glasses with side protectors are best to prevent UV rays from reaching your eyes from the side
- Screen
- Choose a sunscreen that meets the 3 American Academy of Dermatology criteria: broad spectrum (UVA and UVB), SPF 30 or higher, & water resistant for 40 or 80 minutes
- Pure mineral sunscreen is the preferred form of sunscreen. Mineral sunscreen provides a physical barrier to the sun’s rays, dispersing and reflecting UV light
- Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only two active sunscreen ingredients the FDA can currently say are generally regarded as safe and effective
- Sunscreen should be reapplied at least every 2 hours or more frequently when sweating or in the water
- A pigmented sunscreen with iron oxide has the additional benefit of blocking blue light (high energy visible light) emitted from the sun, screens, fluorescent, and LED lighting
Here are a few of my favorite sunscreens:
- SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50
- BabyBum SPF 50 mineral sunscreen lotion
- LaRoche Posay Anthelios SPF 50 mineral sunscreen – gentle lotion
- Sunbetter mineral stick from SkinBetter Science
1https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/1691733/sunscreen-prevention-skin-aging-randomized-trial 2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27749441