What's New Under the Sun

By Kirby Adams

It's August and that means plenty of hot sunny days ahead so I want to pass along some sunscreen information I feel is important and perhaps not widely known. Since one out of every five of you reading this will develop skin cancer I hope you will read this all the way through. Because of this information I have changed the way I protect my family from the sun and it may convince you to do that same.

Doctors have always encouraged us to use sunscreen when we plan to be outside for more than 20 minutes, but your sun block might not be protecting you as well as it should.

Lets think back to the first part of the summer. Was the bottle of sunscreen you pulled out of the medicine cabinet the left over from the summer of 2005? The ingredients in sunscreen remain active for three years according to the FDA so that's not the problem. But the fact that you have sunscreen leftover probably means you aren't using enough. According to local dermatologist Dr. Scott Kasteler “a family of four should be going through a bottle of sunscreen every two to three days.” That's an awful lot of lotion you may be thinking. And it is, you should be using an ounce of sunscreen each time its applied.

Want to picture how much? Think about a shot glass worth. I poured myself a shot and tried to use the entire thing. I was a mess! But that, apparently is o.k., you see the amount of time it takes for sun protection to kick into gear is 15 to 30 minutes and that length of time allowed all of that lotion to soak into my skin.

But what type of sunscreen is best? Health experts say many sunscreens don't protect you against melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. That's because most common products only ward off UVB rays.

But a new product on the market is being touted as a major leap forward in the battle against the sun. Neutrogena Corp. has launched a new line of sunblock products that dermatologists say don't need to be reapplied every couple of hours like rival sunscreens.

Neutrogena's new products are based on a technology it has developed, dubbed Helioplex, which makes a commonly used chemical agent work more effectively. Up until recently I had always been told to look for sunscreens that contain Parsol, or Avobenzone, because they do a good job of blocking ultraviolet-B rays, but their protection against ultraviolet-A rays starts to weaken after a few hours of sun exposure. That's why dermatologists always tell you to reapply every two hours.

Neutrogena found a way to stop Avobenzone from degrading and boost its UV protection ability so that the product basically retains its potency up to four or five hours in direct sun exposure.

Nearly all major drugstores and mass retailers carry the Neutrogena products that include the Helioplex. Look for Ultrasheer Dry-Touch Sunblock and Neutrogena Age Shield Sunblock. Another way I have found the products that contain the ingredient is to look for the words Broad Spectrum on the front of the Neutrogena bottle. I think they may be a bit more expensive but when you consider that you aren't reapplying as often it probably all evens out.

Expect to find helioplex being used in most sunscreen brands in the future. As for claims by any brand of being waterproof., dermatologists I spoke with say even if the sunscreen said it's waterproof. Practically speaking, “waterproof” basically means water-resistant so reapply each time you get out of the water.

Bottomline no matter what kind, how much or how often you use sunscreen, doctors still recommend limiting your time in the sun for best protection.

Using sunscreen isn't all there is to this updated sun protection information.

Tightly knit clothing can block out virtually all sun, but that's not what you're usually wearing when you're in the sun. As long as light is shining through, you're exposed.

A green cotton T-shirt has an SPF of 10, while a white cotton T-shirt has an SPF of 7, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

So for added protection, you can buy light, breathable clothes with built-in ultraviolet protection factor, or UPF, of 15 or higher. But these may not provide enough protection for fair skinned individuals.

You also can wash sun-protecting ingredients into your clothes. Several years ago, a laundry additive was developed containing a chemical that absorbs certain wavelengths, preventing them from penetrating and burning the skin. The product is called Sunguard. It used to be sold in stores alongside detergents. I can't say I have seen it in a while although I did find it for sale on the internet.

I have always thought this would be a great added layer of protection for the kids t shirts as they spend their summer playing outside.

Hopefully, these new tid bits of sun protection information will give you more peace of mind this summer as you and your family play in the sun.

Kirby Adams is the consumer reporter for Kentuckiana's News Channel WHAS-11, Team Captain for Team Crusade and a sports and fitness buff. You can e-mail Kirby at kirby.adams@whas11.com. Kirby is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness' Editorial Advisory Board.

If you know of a little “GEM” or a story, you would like to share it with our readers, drop me a note about it to:

Kirby Adams,WHAS-TV
520 West Chestnut Street
Louisville, KY 40202