Sun Screen Day

Sun Screen Day is May 27th

It's so important to protect your skin from the sun, and sunscreen is a very simple way to do that. Sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer and all kinds of other skin problems. Summer is about to start, so this is the time to make sure you're stocked up on sunscreen and make a vow to use it whenever you're out in the sun.

Sunscreen Day is brought to you by the imagery of lifeguards wearing ‘that white paste’ on their nose. Sunscreen Day is initially about creating awareness about the importance of wearing sunscreen, educating the public about the harm the sun can cause to your skin.

What is Sunscreen?

Sunscreen is mainly made up of zinc oxide and other plant based derivatives such as olive oil, extracts of rice, jasmine, and lupine. 

Who Invented Sunscreen?

In the early 1930s, a South Australian chemist by the name of H.A. Milton Blake produced a sunburn cream. Meanwhile, in 1936, the founder of L'Oreal, chemist Eugene Schueller, developed a sunscreen formula. In 1938, an Austrian chemist named Franz Greiter invented one of the first big sunscreen products. Greiter's sunscreen was called "Gletscher Crème" or "Glacier Cream". In 1944, Florida airman and pharmacist Benjamin Green invented one of the first popular sunscreen products in the United States. Red Vet Pet was originally created for the military due to overexposure of sun to soldiers during WWII. Later in the 1950s, his patent was bought by what we now know as Coppertone. In 1977, water-resistant sunscreens were developed. In 1980, Coppertone also developed the first UVA/UVB sunscreen.

SPF

Franz Greiter also created SPF in 1962, a measurement of the fraction of sunburn-producing UV rays that reach the skin. For example, "SPF 15" means that 1/15th of the burning radiation will reach the skin (assuming the sunscreen is applied evenly at a thick dosage of two milligrams per square centimeter).

In 1978, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first adopted the SPF rating. Later in June of 2011, the FDA issued a comprehensive set of guidelines designed to help consumers identify and select suitable sunscreen products that are preventative to sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancer.

Myths About Sunscreen Debunked

• You don’t need sunscreen on cloudy days - Clouds do not block harmful UVA and UVB rays.
• You can’t get sunburned in water - UVA and UVB rays can still penetrate through water and can even reflect off of the water.
• High SPF sunscreen lasts all day - SPF numbers are only based on how much the sunscreen will block UVA and UVB rays from damaging your skin over a period of two hours.
• You only get skin cancer on the parts of your body that are exposed to the sun - Sun exposure isn’t the only factor that causes skin cancer, it also may be genetic.
• You won’t get skin cancer if you wear sunscreen - No sunscreen offers 100 percent complete protection, that is why it is important to wear protective wear such as hats, sunglasses and other protective clothes.
• One tube of sunscreen is enough for a week-long beach vacation - No, as you’re supposed to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or immediately after swimming. So you should be using multiple ounces of sunscreen during a single day of outdoor activities.
• You don’t need a hat if you wear sunscreen - False, sunscreen doesn’t have 100 percent complete protection.
• It’s not worth wearing sunscreen if you didn’t wear it as a kid - By the age of 40 you have only used up half of your lifetime dose of UV Rays. Over time, sun exposure can cause you to lose your ability to repair cell damage and your immune system weakens, making you more susceptible to skin cancer. Bottom line: You’re never too old to use sunscreen.
• You don’t need sunscreen during all daylight hours - UV rays are at their strongest during 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• You don’t need sunscreen since skin cancer doesn’t run in your family - Genetics are only one factor - and you have no control over your genetics. But you have control over how much exposure to sun you have and how you go about protecting your skin.

Important Guidelines for Sunscreen

• Everyone needs sunscreen, regardless of age, gender or race.
• The American Academy of Dermatology recommends everyone use sunscreen that offers the following: Broad-spectrum protection (protects against UVA and UVB rays), SPF 30 or higher, and a water resistant one.
• Avoid tanning beds
• If you notice anything changing, itching, or bleeding on your skin contact your doctor.
• Most adults need about 1 ounce of sunscreen — or enough to fill a shot glass — to fully cover their body.
• Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes prior to outdoor activity and every 2 hours after first application.
• Sunscreen does expire - be sure to check the date.

Skin Cancer

The Skin Cancer Foundation states: regular daily use of SPF 15 sunscreen can reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) by about 40 percent, and lower your melanoma risk by 50 percent. The use of sunscreen can also help prevent premature skin aging such as wrinkles and sun spots, caused by the sun.

How to Celebrate

Choose any outdoor activity - but be sure to pick out SPF 30 or higher sunscreen and apply it generously and - rinse and repeat steps.

Bottom line - put your sunscreen on, so you don’t turn the color of a lobster and cause harm to your body.