Experts say sunscreens with an SPF higher than 50 aren’t worth buying.
They only offer marginally better protection.
In 2011, the FDA even went as far as to call sunscreens with SPF values greater than 50 ” inherently misleading.”
Instead, choose an SPF between 15 and 50, apply liberally, and reapply often.
In theory, sunscreen with super-high SPF should give you the best protection against damaging UV radiation right?
But in all honesty, it doesn’t really work that way at all.
At best, high-SPF sunscreens give you only slightly better protection than a sunscreen with SPF 50, according to the annual sunscreen report published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
At worst, they could give you a false sense of security and make you spend more time in the sun — upping your risk for burns and skin cancer.
Here’s what you need to know about SPF to keep your skin as e as possible!
High-SPF products don’t give you a whole lot more protection.
There are two kinds of UV radiation that hit your skin when you’re in the sun: UVA and UVB.
UVB is the kind responsible for sunburns, while UVA is the kind that reaches deeper into the skin and causes skin aging.
Both of them increase your risk of skin cancer.
SPF (short for “sun protection factor”) is a measure of how well a sunscreen protects you from UVB.
It seems like an SPF 100 sunscreen would give you double the protection of an SPF 50 sunscreen right?
Wrong!
The truth is that higher-SPF products are only marginally better at shielding you from UVB, according to both the EWG and the Skin Cancer Foundation.
SPF 30 blocks nearly 97% of UVB radiation, SPF 50 blocks about 98%, and SPF 100 blocks about 99%.
At Diamond Laser we recommend Ocosmedics Mineral Pro SPF30 for the faceas it contains a whopping 20% Zinc oxide!
SPF only measures protection from UVB radiation. It has nothing to do with deep-penetrating UVA radiation. In fact, the US has no labeling system that tells consumers how much UVA protection they’re getting (or not) in a sunscreen.
This is another major downside of higher-SPF products. A product with SPF can protect you from sunburns, but it could still leave you vulnerable to doses of UVA radiation.
To ensure you’re getting equal protection from both types of radiation, check the ingredients list. The product should contain 2% avobenzone or at least 15% zinc oxide, Both ingredients block UVA.