Sunscreen Works!

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

You know I’m a vocal supporter of sunscreen use and keep reminding you to incorporate using sunscreen as one of your “daily habits” all year round. I’d like to share an interesting article just out from the New England Journal of Medicine about a unique example of one man’s experience.

Dr. Jennifer Gordon, from Northwestern University in Chicago, studied a gentleman who spent 28 years on the road as a long-haul trucker. This man had extensive sun exposure to the left side of his face (driver’s side). After nearly 30 years, he sustained a huge amount of sun damage to the left side of his face. While the left side of his face was creased, and wrinkled, the right side of his face was relatively smooth and unlined.

I can’t think of a better example for the endorsement of sunscreen! While this is an extreme example, it’s an amazing one that points out just how vulnerable we all are to the sun’s rays.

Another important thing to remember from this example—glass is not an effective barrier for the damaging UV rays of the sun. UV radiation penetrates glass and affects your skin.
If you don’t already do so, make daily sunscreen application a habit, even when you’re not at the pool or the beach. Your skin will thank you!

What is SPF?

SPF — or Sun Protection Factor — is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Here's how it works: If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours.

Another way to look at it is in terms of percentages: SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 percent and SPF 50 keeps out 98 percent.

Other thoughts on sunscreen? Post away!