Whether from concerned parents, doctors or loved ones, most of us have heard “don’t forget to wear your sunscreen” at least once in our lives — especially living in Miami. When any of us venture out for a beach day or a long hike, we usually never forget to pack a bottle of SPF 40 in our bags to ensure we don’t end the day burnt and red as a sun-dried tomato. But do sunscreens really work as advertised, or have we all been fed one massive lie?

In 2016, NBC News reported a study conducted by the nonprofit consumer organization Consumer Reports found that, “of the 65 of the top sunscreen brands sold, 40% don’t meet dermatologist requirements.”

That same year, CNN released a similar article citing the same Consumer Report study and sounded the alarm for SPF disparities in sunscreen, reporting that Consumer Reports concluded that “43% of [the 65 top sunscreen brands] had less SPF than the label promised.”

SPF result disparities can be due to confounding variables such as product testing methodology. Whether participants are dry versus participants who went swimming, as the Consumer Report study indicated, may be a significant reducing factor. To combat this, the study tested the selected sunscreens in a “more realistic fashion,” more closely mimicking a regular pool day.

Bluffing Bottles

The Consumer report study found the “most problematic products were Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free, Sting-Free Lotion and CVS brand Kids Sun Lotion, which were both labeled as SPF 50 but were found to have only SPF 8.” Expecting to apply SPF 50 and only getting SPF 8 is a serious worry for all age ranges.

Children under the age of 10 are at a high risk for skin and eye damage from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, as the skin on a child’s eyelids and around their eyes is more delicate and vulnerable than adult skin. Without proper regulation and testing of products, some brands are exposing young children to future long-term issues.

Negative effects of not wearing sunscreen include “premature aging of your skin and potentially skin cancer,” said Dr. Maggie Aldousany, a professor of kinesiology and sports sciences at the University of Miami. “More sun exposure can leave dark spots and or irregular pigmentation on the skin.”

This can increase the appearance of aging.

When choosing what SPF to wear it’s important to consider that companies may not be reporting correctly.

“SPF 30 is a good starting point,” recommends Alex Caiola, a UM senior majoring in finance.

Dr. Aldousany agrees with Caiola:

“[You should use SPF 30] to make sure that you’re hitting that mark,” said Dr. Aldousany.

Where You Wear

Each location’s unique UV exposure determines the sun’s range of possible skin damage.

“Different parts of the globe have less exposure in their ozone layer than others that allow those UVA and UVB light rays to penetrate,” Dr. Aldousany said.

With Miami located approximately 1,800 miles from the equator, the sun’s UV rays are much stronger than what most UM non-Miami natives are used to.

Dr. Aldousany herself uses SPF 50, because she assumes there might’ve been an error in the sunscreen testing process and expects to only get SPF 30 protection from her sunscreen.

According to Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, a good rule of thumb for sunscreen is to buy and use products that are above SPF 30.

“It does not really matter as long as sunscreen products have an SPF of at least 30,” said Dr. Rokhsar.

Moreover, as mentioned by the CNN article above, products with SPF greater than 30 provide only marginally better protection. The CNN article found that,“while SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays, SPF 50 and 100 block 98% and 99% of rays, respectively.”

Where many individuals fall short is with reapplying. According to Dr. Aldousany, you should rrapply your sunscreen around every two hours, and if you’re swimming or sweating, it’s recommended to reapply more frequently.

While it’s generally easy to remember sunscreen when going for a run or relaxing at the beach, it’s relevant in other settings. For example: when you’re driving a car, and the sun’s rays touch your skin through a window or sunroof. Often, we don’t think about sun damage during our daily activities. However, dark pigmentation on individuals’ hands from sun exposure can accumulate over time.

Even for those that don’t burn easily, the sun damages accumulate.

“[It’s] especially true of all different races and ethnicities to realize, even if you’re maybe fortunate enough not to have that immediate reaction to the sun and burn, you can still have sun damage because we know that UVA rays are linked to skin cancer,” Dr. Aldousany said.

Researching the Rays

Finding the right sunscreen is an individualized process. With varying levels of sensitivity, acne and allergies, it’s important to find what works best for you to ensure proper, authentic protection from the harmful rays of the sun.

Precautions to consider along with wearing sunscreen are protective clothing and annual dermatologist visits.

So, next time you’re out an about — whether it be for a morning of errands or an afternoon of leisure — don’t forget to put on and reapply the sunscreen you almost left at home.

And, the next time you find yourself scouring the aisles of the grocery store or the Amazon storefront, make sure to do your research and don’t simply throw any old sunscreen into your cart simply because of the SPF listed on the bottle.

words_valeria barbaglio. illustration&design_andres alessandro.

This article was published in Distraction’s Summer 2024 print issue.

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