Are you wearing sunscreen right now? If you’re not, you should be. Whether you’re covering up on the beach, or wearing a lighter formula to the office, sunscreen is as critical to good health as exercise and good nutrition.
Just when you’ve gotten into the habit of slathering SPF on like a suit of armor, you may have read the Consumer Reports statistics that an astounding 43% of sunscreens on the market do not deliver the level of sun protection promised on the label. “Natural” sunscreens, which generally contain zinc or titanium, fell short on SPF performance on the consumer report this year. While containing less chemicals, these products are not as water resistant as their chemical cousins. When swimming or in the water, you may want to consider using the chemical class of sunscreens. We’ve done our own research, and made a list of the top formulas that do live up to our high standards.
Here are the Skin Associates favorites:
Best Sunscreens for the Body:
1. La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk
2. EltaMD UV Sport Broad-Spectrum SPF 50
3. No-Ad Sport SPF 50
4. Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50
5. Neutrogena CoolDry Sport with Micromesh SPF 30
6. Cotz Plus SPF 58 (the top scoring ‘natural’ sunscreen)
Best Sunscreens for the Face:
1. Elta MD UV Clear SPF 46
2. MD Solar Sciences Mineral Crème SPF 50
3. La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultralight Mineral SPF 50
4. Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50
5. CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30
Best Sunscreens for Baby:
1. Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen SPF 60+
2. Blue Lizzard Baby Sunscreen SPF 30+
3. CeraVe Baby Sunscreen SPF 45
4. California Baby Super Sensitive SPF 30+
Best Sunscreen for Reapplying in the Middle of your Workday or sun day:
1. Avene High Protection Tinted Compact Beige Face Powder
2. Verta SPF 50 sunscreen facestick
Best sunscreen for scalp or other hairy areas:
1. Isdin Eryfontona SPF 50
May is melanoma awareness month. One in five people are diagnosed with skin cancer, and melanoma can be treated when caught early. Besides protecting yourself with a sunscreen, come in and see us for your yearly skin cancer surveillance examination. It could save your life!
