It’s that time of year … The sun is staying out later, the weather has the first hint of balmy warmness, and winter clothes are officially packed away.

What that means for your skin is something a bit different: longer exposure to more direct sunlight, meaning that unless you take the proper precautions, you’re putting your birthday suit at risk of everything from premature aging to skin cancer.  Just make sure you grab the right product – after all, not all sunscreen is created equal.

But with a suncare aisle packed with competing bottles, confusing marketing messages and a number system that just doesn’t make sense, how do you know what to grab?  Your cheat sheet after the jump.

UVAs And UVBs Are Very Different

The first thing you need to know about SPF is that – by US law – it is only a measure of how long it takes skin to burn from UVB rays.

This fact may not seem that alarming at first, as UVBs are more potent than their counterpart in producing sunburn and are considered the main cause skin cancer (including basal and squamous cell carcinomas, as well as melanoma).  But UVA rays actually penetrate the skin more deeply, causing not only more damage (such as photoaging) but actually increasing the cancer-causing effects of UVB rays while causing some types of melanoma.

In short, you need a broadspectrum sunblock – one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.  And while that may seem like an easy fix while you’re reading this, the truth is that it’s been a very difficult thing for beauty companies to create – the problem being that the ingredient used to block UVA rays (typically, avobenzone) deteriorates when exposed to light.

For Normal Skin: The Need For Broadspectrum, Photostable SPF

Certain companies, including Neutrogena (with its Helioplex technology) and L’Oreal (via its Mexoryl formulation) have actually found a way to stabilize the UVA ingredient within their suncare products, producing broadspectrum (which protect from both UVA and UVB rays), photostable (meaning that the UVA protection does not immediately breakdown in sunlight, lasting for hours at a time) products.

Personally, I’m a fan of Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer SPF 55 sunblock – the product provides great protection, while offering a powder dry, non-greasy finish.

For Athletes: SPF Protection That Works Hard

Athletes spend a huge amount of time outside, and it’s no secret that traditional SPFs just don’t cut it.  The sunblock I wear on my 5 mile runs disappears by mile 3, and I’m far from an award-winning athlete.

So I was intrigued when I found out about Mission, a company that boasts that its line is designed, and has been proven, to meet the specific needs of athletes across all sports. With vital nutrients and antioxidants, Mission Skincare is the “best equipment for your skin,” allowing athletes to focus on their sport and maximize their performance.

Even more intriguing, the brand claims the following athletes as its creators and testers:

• Tennis superstar Serena Williams
• Champion golfer Sergio Garcia
• Professional basketball player Steve Nash
• Gold Medal skateboarder Ryan Sheckler
• Professional soccer player Mia Hamm
• Gold Medal snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler
• Gold Medal swimmer Amanda Beard
  
• Professional basketball player Carmelo Anthony

I tried the Ultra Sweatproof Sunscreen SPF 30+ Lotion, a  non-greasy, ultra-dry formula that protected me through a 7 mile run at noon on a summer day.  Surprise!  It was totally effective, I wasn’t sunburned at all.  The formula is vitamin and antioxidant-enriched, as well as paraben-free.

Available at MissionSkincare.com.

For Babies: Gentle Sun Protection

Babies do not have the same skin as adults; it’s still growing and developing, a fact that underscores how important it is to protect the skin.  In fact, because babies’ skin is so weak compared to that of their parents, a child’s UV exposure is typically two to three times higher annually than it is for adults!

This immature skin barrier is the ultimate Catch 22: while it’s that much more important to protect your baby’s skin from damaging UV rays, the child’s skin is more likely to become irritated by the traditional chemical sunscreens (like the ones listed above) that are perfectly safe for older kids and adults.

Luckily, physical (most often, mineral) SPFs are perfect for children two months and older.  Unlike traditional sunscreens, which absorb the sun’s rays, mineral blockers scatter and deflect the rays away from skin.  The baby care experts at Mustela have put together a set of 100% mineral sunscreens, each of which rinse off easily from the skin, to help your baby enjoy the warm weather.

The set, pictured above, includes High Protection Sun Lotion SPF 50, Sun Cream for Sensitive Areas SPF 50, Facial Cleansing Cloths and Hydra Bébé Body Spray – all the essentials to keep a baby’s (or your) skin protected from the sun and moisturized. $37.50 at MustelaUSA.com.

For The Skincare Savvy: A Total Summer Beauty Bag

MD Skincare, a celebrated brand for its hard working skincare products, is celebrating National Skin Cancer Awareness Month (that would be this month, May!) with two amazing deals:

1. All full sized sunscreens purchased on their website are half price
2. The introduction of the Made In The Shade bag

The orange and while Made In The Shade bag comes packed with all of the summer beauty items you need to look, well, made in the shade.  This includes the EZ4U 4-In-1 Facial (a multitasking towlette that will de-slick skin while providing light moisture and firming action), Hydra Pure Mist (a refreshing spray packed with antioxidants), Powerful Sun Protection SPF 45 Sunscreen Cream (a water resistant, oil free sunblock that combines both mineral and chemical blockers for broadspectrum, photostable protection) and the Powerful Sun Protection SPF 25 Lip Balm (to protect and hydrate lips).

Best of all, this is an amazing deal – $65 at MDSkincare.com.

For Sensitive Skin And The Environmentally Concerned: Chemical Free Sunscreen

Burt’s Bees has created a niche by offering high quality products with no parabens, phthalates or (in this case) unnecessary chemicals.

While many of the SPF options found on store shelves are chemical blockers, the Chemical Free Sunscreen SPF 15 is actually a physical blocker.  The product uses titanium dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), together with hemp seed oil and wheat grass extract, creates a barrier on the skin’s surface to reflect damaging UV rays.

Because it’s a physical blocker, it naturally offers broadspectrum UVA/UVB prtection, while skin is kept hydrated.  Calendula, Witch Hazel and Goldenseal make this a multi-tasking powerhouse by soothing and softening skin.

Available at BurtsBees.com.

Tags: Beauty, Burt's Bees, Burt's Bees Chemical Free Sunscreen SPF 15, Helioplex, L'Oreal, MDSkincare, MDSkincare Made In The Shade, Mexoryl, Mission Skincare, Mission Ultra Sweatproof Sunscreen SPF 30+ Lotion, Mustela, Neutrogena, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55, SPF, Sunblock, Sunscreen, UV Rays

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pm and is filed under Schmears. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.