Sun and Sunscreen

One of the best and cheapest on the market

When I'm in the vineyard the sun can be brutal. It's no accident that vineyard workers who spend all day out there are dressed in hoodies and long-sleeved shirts. This past week, the FDA announced new guidelines for sunscreen labeling in order to protect consumers against false claims. Manufacturers can no longer use the terms "sunblock", "waterproof" and "sweatproof".  They will also have to provide  UVB and UVA protection in order to label it "broad spectrum".

UVB are the rays that cause short term damage, i.e., sunburn, but UVA rays are the ones that can cause skin cancer over time and are especially harmful to people sensitive to sunlight. What they didn't do was come out and say what every dermatologist knows: any SPF over 50 is a waste of money and a marketing ploy.  An SPF of 100 offers only about 1% more protection than that of  SPF 50, marginal at best.

So what ingredients should one look for in a sunscreen? According to Dr. David J. Leffell, Chief of Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at Yale School of Medicine (in other words, he's a skin cancer expert), there are three ingredients that offer the best broad spectrum protection: zinc oxide, avobenzone and to a lesser extent, titanium dioxide.  If any of these are in your product, you've got the best protection out there, but you still have to reapply frequently (every 2 hours).  He also suggests multiple strategies including SPF clothing and hats, full skin coverage and of course, just staying out of the sun, especially between 10 and 4.

I'm getting ready to head out and do some canopy management and I've checked my sunscreen, 70 for my arms and 90 for my face. None of the three essential ingredients are there.  So I'm going to toss those in favor of my Trader Joe's SPF 30 with zinc oxide. Both of my parents have had cancerous growths from their faces removed, I'm not taking any chances.

For more information on skin and the sun and the new FDA regulations, check out Dr. Lefell's website. It offers up a ton of useful info.