SPF 100 Isn’t As Great As We Think It Is
Do you ever use 100 SPF? If I’m heading to the beach or out in the boat…I cover myself with sunblock. Every day I use it on my face, but…
393787 04: Bottles of Coppertone and Banana Boat suntan lotion lay on the blanket of a sun worshiper August 28, 2001 at the beach on Key Biscayne, Florida. (Photo by…
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)If I'm heading to the beach or out in the boat...I cover myself with sunblock. Every day I use it on my face, but I usually don't reach for the SPF 100. 50 is the most I will use.
After reading this in Men's Health...I'm glad I didn't waste the money. It's not as great as we thought it was.
SPF stands for "sun protection factor"....and 100 isn't really that much better for your skin than SPF 50. The article points out that super-high SPFs don't actually block out that many more skin-damaging rays. SPF 50 blocks out 98 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 100 blocks out 99 percent. So 1 percent more.
Currently the FDA has a proposal out to make the max SPF value on sunscreen be "SPF 60+." The reasoning is that having a high number tricks people into thinking they're dramatically more protected and will protect you for longer. The reality is that people rarely apply enough sunscreen to begin with and then also fail to reapply every two hours as they're supposed to-- both of these things can lead to sun burn.
