With summer is approaching, here's a smarter way to use sunscreen

This episode delves into the proper use of sunscreen, emphasizing common mistakes and providing expert advice to maximize skin protection during the sunny season.

1. Sunscreen effectiveness is compromised by using expired products.
2. The type of sunscreen (chemical vs. mineral) affects safety and efficacy.
3. Applying a sufficient amount of sunscreen is crucial—often more than people use.
4. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating.
5. Even on cloudy days, sunscreen is necessary due to substantial UV radiation penetration.

1. Introduction to Sunscreen Importance

Discusses the link between UV radiation and skin cancer, emphasizing the protective role of sunscreen. Regina Barber: "It's essential to revisit the science behind sunscreen as the weather gets warmer."

2. Common Mistakes and Correct Usage

Outlines mistakes such as using expired sunscreen and not applying enough, with expert insights on proper usage. Ida Orengo: "Look at the expiration date on sunscreen and when in doubt, throw it out."

3. Chemical vs. Mineral Sunscreens

Compares the safety and effectiveness of chemical and mineral sunscreens, recommending mineral options for sensitive skin and environmental safety. Tola Oyesanya: "Mineral sunscreens are safer because they are less likely to enter the bloodstream."

1. Check Expiry Dates: Start each summer with fresh sunscreen to avoid reduced effectiveness.
2. Choose Mineral Sunscreens: Opt for zinc oxide or titanium dioxide-based products for better skin and environmental health.
3. Apply Generously: Use about a shot glass full for the body and a teaspoon for the face.
4. Reapply Regularly: Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours, more often if swimming or sweating.
5. Cover All Exposed Skin: Ensure complete coverage to prevent unprotected spots.
6. Use Broad Spectrum Sunscreens: Protect against both UVA and UVB rays to prevent skin cancer and premature aging.
7. Store Properly: Keep sunscreen in a cool, dry place to prevent degradation.
8. Use Protective Clothing: Supplement sunscreen with clothing, hats, and sunglasses for additional protection.

Each year 84,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with melanoma. About 90% of these skin cancers are linked to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Sunscreen does protect the skin, but dermatologists have found six very common mistakes people make when it comes to using it. NPR science correspondent Allison Aubrey talks to host Regina G. Barber about the science behind sunscreen and how to avoid making these mistakes this summer. They also get into which sunscreens may be better than others.

People

Regina Barber, Allison Aubrey, Ida Orengo, Tola Oyesanya

Companies

FDA, Baylor College of Medicine, Kaiser Permanente

Books

None

Guest Name(s):

Ida Orengo, Tola Oyesanya

Content Warnings:

None

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Regina Barber
Hey, short wavers. Regina Barber here with NPR's science correspondent Allison Aubrey. Hey, Allison. Hey, Regina. Great to be here. Okay, so it's Memorial Day. This is one of the unofficial cues that summer is coming, right? And in my part of the world in Washington, DC, the temperature's just getting hotter. There's more people outside hiking, biking and in the sun. It's wonderful. It's fun, right? Yes, it's very nice. It's a little humid, but it is nice.

And when we're outside enjoying that sun, it means it's time to revisit a topic we do a lot when weather gets warmer. Right. The science behind sunscreen and the best way to protect our skin from that sun. Yeah, this one never gets old. Regina, I kind of feel it's some of the most important information to get out there is how to apply sunscreen for maximum protection and yet, yet agree. It turns out that a lot of people are still doing it wrong. Making mistakes, that's not good because the dangers of not protecting yourself from the sun are serious.

It helps us protect against skin cancer, right? That's exactly right. And every year, over 80,000 people in the US are diagnosed with melanoma. More than 8000 people die from this type of cancer. And there's millions of cases of basal cell in squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed each year. Two. And about 90% of these skin cancers are linked to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

And sunscreen plays a key role in protecting the skin. But you found out recently that a lot of people are making mistakes when they use it. I mean, I hope I'm not, but I bet I am. Yeah. You know, people seem to put a lot of thought into what type of sunscreen they buy, how high they want the SPF to be, whether they want spray, lotion, chemical, mineral. But it turns out which sunscreen you choose may not be nearly as important as avoiding six very common mistakes that people make when it comes to applying sunscreen. Okay, so today on the show, we're going to hear about six common mistakes and how to avoid them. Plus, we get into which sunscreens may be better than others. You're listening to short wave from NPR.

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Regina Barber
Okay, Allison, sunscreen mistake number one. What is it? Using old sunscreen. I've done it myself. How about you? Yes. You know, a couple weeks ago, I was rummaging through my last season's pool bag, and I found a few bottles of half used sunscreen. I'd figure, okay, let's just use this. I mean, why not? You paid $10 for it. But then I spoke to Ida Orengo. She's a dermatologist at Baylor College of Medicine. She persuaded me to toss it out.

Ida Orengo
I always tell people that you need to look at the expiration date and get rid of them. And even if they haven't expired, my kind of mantra is, every spring I buy all new sunscreen from my household.

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Wow.

Regina Barber
She says the active ingredients can degrade. And she says bacteria can get into the creams, too. So several dermatologists told me that each season they throw out the old, buy new. It may seem wasteful, but the cost of not protecting your skin properly is much higher. Okay, so let's talk about the active ingredients a bit. What are they?

You know, there's a whole list of compounds that the FDA calls acceptable active ingredients for sunscreen. These include chemicals like oxybenzone, ovobenzone. You can go to the FDA website to get a complete list. And these are chemical sunscreens that form a kind of thin protective film on the skin that absorbs uv radiation. If you're using one of these sunscreens means you need to make sure it's marked broad spectrum, because there's actually two types of UV radiation that you need to protect yourself from, UVA and UVB. And a broad spectrum chemical sunscreen will protect you against both. And most products these days are broad spectrum. But there's also some concern that chemicals in this sunscreen might be harmful, right? That's right. And I would say there's some uncertainty about the safety of these chemicals, or at least some of them. Recent studies have shown some of these compounds are absorbed into the bloodstream, but the impact of absorbing absorption isn't really well understood. The FDA has been conducting a safety review and has asked industry for more data.

For now, the FDA has said that there is inadequate data to support a safety finding for some of the chemicals that are common in sunscreen, like oxybenzone. Now, there's no evidence of harm, so there's no kind of definitive answer on that. And most dermatologists say the risks from a sunburn far outweigh any potential risk of sunscreen chemicals. But is there an alternative?

You know, if you are concerned about these chemicals in sunscreen, there are alternatives. You can choose what they call physical sunscreen or also referred to as mineral sunscreen. These are typically made from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They stay on the surface of the skin and physically block the sun. That's why you kind of see that lifeguard effect of the white glaze on someone's face. I spoke to doctor Tola Oyesanya. She's a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in the Baltimore area, and she recommends this type of sunscreen to lots of her patients.

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I think that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are much, much safer than chemical sunscreens because they're so inert, they're less likely to enter the bloodstream.

Regina Barber
She also says they're better for people with sensitive skin. They might not lead to breakout.

Older versions of mineral sunscreens went on as kind of that thick white paste, which some people don't like. Now, there are some colorful versions, say bright pink, and there's also a lot more zinc oxide products available now that go on much clearer. And a good reason for choosing these mineral sunscreens, especially if you're going to the ocean, is that the National oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, says sunscreens without chemicals are better for coral reefs and marine life. Okay, Allison, so what's another mistake people make. Not applying enough. Do you know how much you really need?

I really don't. I apply some to my face every day and I hope it's enough. Okay. Well, you know, a lot of people spend time worrying about the SPF, but a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will block out 93% of the UV rays. And when you bump it up to SPF 30, you're blocking out about 97%. So doctor Oyasanya says the sunscreens with the highest sun protection factor, like the eighties or the hundreds, aren't necessarily better.

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SPF 30 is sufficient, and that's because SPF 30 is going to filter 97% of the uv rays that are coming through from the sun. And as we go up in SPF, SPF 50, SPF 75, SPF 100, you're really getting a minuscule increase.

Regina Barber
She basically tells her patients, look, focus less on the SPF and more on the amount of sunscreen. Here's doctor Ida Arengo again, the dermatologist from Baylor University.

She says the recommended amount is about an ounce and a half of liquid sunscreen.

Ida Orengo
We always say it's like a shot glass full of sunscreen is for the.

Regina Barber
Whole body and then about a teaspoon for the face. Oh, my gosh. I actually do do this in the morning, Alison. I feel so good. And do you do the shot glass for the body? I do not.

I think that's where a lot of people fall down.

And when it comes to spray sunscreens, another little thing that can trip people up is that it can be tricky to gauge the amount. Right.

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I think that spray sunscreens are a bit risky because of the spray. It's easy to miss a whole area of your body.

Regina Barber
Yeah. So, she says, make sure that all the parts of your body that you need to be covered feel wet after you spray. And that brings us to a third mistake. Ooh, what is that? Assuming that one application of sunscreen will last you all day. You know, many people think that a higher SPF lasts longer, but that's just not true. So I spoke to doctor Jennifer Holman. She's a fellow at the American Academy of Dermatology. She says sunscreens just don't last very long, especially when people sweat and swim.

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If you're exposed to the water, even with sunscreens labeled as water resistant, you're really only getting about 80 to 90 minutes of protection.

Regina Barber
So, she says, you really just need to remember to reapply sunscreen every couple of hours, even on cloudy days. I always forget that always. Yeah. I mean, dermatologists told me that they see some of the worst sunburns linked to overcast days because people just assume they don't need it.

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You're still getting about 80% of the uv rays filtered through those clouds on a cloudy day. So you absolutely can still experience damage from uv radiation on a cloudy day.

Regina Barber
So that's another common mistake people make. If it's cloudy, they just don't think they need it. And we're talking about everyone, right? Like, all humans are at risk of skin cancer from sun damage. That's right. I mean, sunscreen protection is recommended for all groups, I mean, with the exception of babies under six months. And that's because infants are more susceptible to rashes from sunscreen. They're also much more likely to get a sunburn. So the FDA says for infants, the best thing is just to keep them out of the sun entirely, especially during the hours of ten to two when the sun is strongest, or when they are outside to have on lots of protective clothing. So, you know, long sleeves, a hat, keep them in the shade. For everyone else, it doesn't matter how dark or how light your skin is, everyone should protect themselves from the sun's radiation. Dermatologists say fair skinned people are at higher risk of burns and melanoma, but people with dark skin are vulnerable to damage from the sun, too.

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I mean, I've cut skin cancers off of every skin type that I can think of because that risk is still there.

Regina Barber
And Doctor Oyasanya told me that she advises people with darker skin who've had a lot of sun exposure to be careful to check their palms, the soles of their feet, their nails inside their mouth, because these are all the areas that people can develop skin cancer, because there's less melanin in those areas.

It's a little alarming, but okay, I think we have one more common mistake to cover. Right? Yeah. And this goes to where you store your sunscreen. It should be somewhere that is cool and dry. Doctor Oyasanya says, do not keep it in the glove compartment of your car. Oh, no. Oh, no. I know it's hard because things need to be convenient, but you're sort of trading the convenience of keeping it in the car with, uh oh, like, what if these chemicals start to degrade now? It's not going to happen overnight. If you're going on a week long camping trip or something, probably fine to just leave it in the car. But as a rule of thumb, you want to keep the sunscreen in a cool, dry place.

NPR Sponsor
The sunscreen is actually being degraded by heat. And so the components of the sunscreen that are supposed to protect you are getting broken down slowly over time.

Regina Barber
So one thing you can keep in your car is clothing or hats to shield you from the sun, like a baseball cap that will protect part of your face. Dermatologists say what's better is a three inch brim hat made with tightly woven material that will give you more protection from the sun's rays and parasols. Yes, umbrellas. Perfect. And umbrellas.

Okay, Allison, thank you so much for bringing us this very important information. I've learned a lot. Let's lather up and enjoy the sunshine. Thanks, Regina.

This episode was produced by Carly Rubin and edited by Jane Greenhalsch and Rebecca Ramirez. It was fact checked by Allison and Jane. Robert Rodriguez was the audio engineer. I'm Regina Barbour. Thanks for listening to shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

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