10 NEW SPF Secrets - Protect Your Skin!

I recently started receiving "Women's Health" magazine in the mail, and while I won't say it's my favorite subscription I will say it has a few helpful articles. With it being the middle of summer and all, I wanted to pass this one on.

Some dangers lurk within: A form of vitamin A is added to some sunscreens to minimize the aging effects of the sun. However, researchers have found that this vitamin A compound may speed up the development of skin cancer related tumors and lesions when used on skin hit with sunlight. You'd think the developers would not want this, right? Ugh. Be careful what you put on your skin, folks!

Sunscreen can harm the environment. What?! The article states that 20,000 tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers, divers, and surfers into the oceans every year, eventually affecting marine life - especially coral reefs. So, if you're going to be swimming in the sea, make sure you use biodegradable sunscreen (who knew there was such a thing?).

SPF doesn't always block UVA rays. I know most of us knew this already, but the FDA is considering a set of guidelines that would use a four-star system to rate a sunscreen's effectiveness against UVA rays. Keep an eye out for it.

Sunscreen expires. Leaving sunblock in intense heat for long amounts of time may make it less effective. Sunscreen also has an expiration date - so check it!

Medications can make you more vulnerable. Meds like tetracycline, diuretics, and painkillers like Aleve can up your chances of getting burned according to this article. They make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so be sure to reapply sunscreen often if you take any of the medications listed above.

Certain foods can turbocharge your protection. Whodathunkit? Load up on lycopene-rich fruits and veggies (think watermelon & tomatoes) to help aid in the protection of your skin.

Labels can lie. Well, I think we kinda knew this, but still. The FDA doesn't regulate sunscreens so the manufacturers aren't legally required to prove what they claim on their labels. So when a sunscreen says "waterproof", it doesn't necessarily mean it. I've heard that they are working on improving this system, but haven't read anything solid on it yet.

The SPF number doesn't mean much. Now, I admit, I didn't know that until this year. I used to buy the highest SPF possible, but now I just use SPF 30. According to this Women's Health article, the super high numbers are just a marketing ploy. *gasp* They lied to us again?

Makeup with SPF doesn't cut it. This is kind of true, kind of untrue. If you reapply every two hours or so, they'll protect you just fine. But, let's face it, who does that? Solution: Always add an extra layer of lightweight sunscreen (the article suggests Clinique's City Block Face Protector SPF 25).

Soaking up vitamin D is no excuse for skipping sunblock. Vitamin D is good for lots of things (strengthening your bones, reducing your risk for certain cancers, and more), but no amount of unprotected sun exposure is OK. Vitamin D is very important, but there are other ways to soak it up (try milk, or a supplement).

What are your sun safety tips?