Infants are at greater risk than adults of sunscreen side effects, such as a rash. The best protection for infants is to keep them out of the sun entirely. Ask a doctor before applying sunscreen to children under six months of age. For children over the age of six months, the FDA recommends using sunscreen as directed on the Drug Facts label.
Not Usually. The directions for using sunscreen products can vary according to their forms. For example, spray sunscreens should never be applied directly to your face. This is just one reason why you should always read the label before using a sunscreen product. Note: FDA has not authorized the marketing of nonprescription sunscreen products in the form of wipes, towelettes, powders, body washes, or shampoos.
Not all sunscreens are broad spectrum, so it is important to look for it on the label. Broad spectrum provides protection against both by providing a chemical barrier that absorbs or reflects UV radiation before it can damage the skin. Sunscreens that are not broad spectrum or that lack an SPF of at least 15 must carry the warning:. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging. The SPF value indicates the level of sunburn protection provided by the sunscreen product.
All sunscreens are tested to measure the amount of UV radiation exposure it takes to cause sunburn when using a sunscreen compared to how much UV exposure it takes to cause a sunburn when not using a sunscreen.
The product is then labeled with the appropriate SPF value. Higher SPF values up to 50 provide greater sunburn protection. As of June , sunscreens that pass the broad spectrum test can demonstrate that they also provide UVA protection. There is a popular misconception that SPF relates to time of solar exposure. For example, many people believe that, if they normally get sunburned in one hour, then an SPF 15 sunscreen allows them to stay in the sun for 15 hours e.
This is not true because SPF is not directly related to time of solar exposure but to amount of solar exposure. The sun is stronger in the middle of the day compared to early morning and early evening hours. That means your risk of sunburn is higher at mid-day. Solar intensity is also related to geographic location, with greater solar intensity occurring at lower latitudes. Read: The Sun and Your Medicine.
Every drug has active ingredients and inactive ingredients. This is not true because SPF is not directly related to time of solar exposure but to amount of solar exposure. Although solar energy amount is related to solar exposure time, there are other factors that impact the amount of solar energy. For example, the intensity of the solar energy impacts the amount. The following exposures may result in the same amount of solar energy:.
Generally, it takes less time to be exposed to the same amount of solar energy at midday compared to early morning or late evening because the sun is more intense at midday relative to the other times.
Solar intensity is also related to geographic location, with greater solar intensity occurring at lower latitudes. Because clouds absorb solar energy, solar intensity is generally greater on clear days than cloudy days. In addition to solar intensity, there are a number of other factor that influence the amount of solar energy that a consumer is exposed to:.
Fair-skinned consumers are likely to absorb more solar energy than dark-skinned consumers under the same conditions. The amount of sunscreen applied also impacts the amount of solar radiation absorbed, because more sunscreen results in less solar energy absorption.
Because sunscreens wear off and become less effective with time, the frequency with which they are reapplied is critical to limiting absorption of solar radiation.
The reapplication frequency is also impacted by the activities that consumers are involved in. For example, consumers who swim while wearing sunscreen need to reapply the sunscreen more frequently because water may wash the sunscreen from the body.
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