Separating sunscreen fact from fiction
 

thank you for that. Living here in the desert sunshine, this information is essential to know.

I also recommend Paula Begoin's(the "cosmetics cop") page on the topic:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/sun.asp?ID=163

she does sell her own cosmetics on her site, but she's excellent at running down ingredients

Man, they didn't even bring up the nonsense that is the SPF numbers themselves. The FDA recommends 15 for everyone except those with exceptionally pale skin (the difference between the two is SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays and SPF 30 blocks 97%) and asserts that anything over 30 is completely useless and not officially approved by the FDA at all.

I'm thinking about all those long days in the sun with nothing for protection but the hay dust that was sticking to the sweat. White in April and dark, dark brown in September. Why aren't we all dead?

Just wait. ;)

I'm naturally pale pale pale. Fish belly white, dead bride white. A nickname given me in high school by melanin gifted friends was Albi, short for? You guessed it.

I've been burned burned burned. I've been burned so badly that my face or arms or breast swelled up in huge puffy glowing shapes not clearly recognizable as human.

Not unusual for growing up at the shore. Philly's The Shore, peeps. AC and OC, pre casino.

Our sun protection back then was Coppertone. No SPF. You went in the water if you thought you were getting too red. Being the only pigmentally challenged in my large family, the concession was that I had to bring long sleeves, a hat, sunglasses, maybe a skirt or pants.

As an adult vacationing in the islands, I used all kinds of sun blocks and SPF 45 (zinc oxide, anyone?) and clothing barriers.

Oddly, I look pretty young as long as you aren't looking at me through a dermatologist's magnifiers and lamps. Or my ophthalmologist's. She would call interns in whenever she had me in the chair to exclaim over my maculas, which show signs of UV radiation.

Where I live now is not a good choice for someone so sensitive. I've made the best of it and rarely go out at midday. That's the best sunblock I've come across in all my years of second degree burns.

some people are sun worshipers and love to be out in the sun. Others--not so much. I've always hated being out in the sun.

Running around in the sun on a hot day, or even lying on a beach, is enervating to me. Just puts me out like a light. Not fun, so I've always stayed out of the sun as much as possible. Should wear a hat, though.

We get a lot of sun here. We also get a lot of skin cancer. If my memory serves me correctly, we're the highest in the world.

The best way to help yourself is to slip, slop, slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat.

Just try and use a non alcohol sunscreen. That way your skin wont dry out so much.

The reality is, if you go out in the sun, you'll damage your skin. Be smart and recognize that sunscreen is only part of the solution.