#i personally use neutrogena ultra sheer dry touch for my standard face and body sunscreen

[quantummindclassicalheart]

Also, sunscreen can and does expire! There's usually an expiration date listed, but if there's no expiration date listed, the FDA suggests that it's safe to use for up to 3 years after purchase.

The ingredients in sunscreen that provide UV protection degrade over time and become less effective, so expired sunscreen won't provide the same protection as non-expired sunscreen. If it's all you've got then use it, but take it as an opportunity to buy new sunscreen you actually like!

If you have sensitive skin or are prone to breakouts, there are sunscreens that are lighter but still protective. Japanese and Korean face sunscreens like Biore Watery Essence can be particularly good for this, but you can also look for sunscreen labeled "dry touch." Another great option is a moisturizer with SPF, so that you get the benefits of sun protection and moisturizing.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

You might wonder why SPF above 50 isn't necessarily better-- what about those sunscreens marketed as SPF 70 or 100? Well, SPF measures protection from sunburn from the sun's rays (hence the name, Sun Protection Factor)-- in particular, a sunscreen label of SPF 15 means that it takes 15 times more solar energy to produce a sunburn compared to unprotected skin.

However, this doesn't directly mean that you can stay in the sun for 15 times longer than you would without sunscreen, because the amount of solar energy you get depends on the time of day and your geographic location. For example, you get the same amount of solar energy from

1 hour in the sun at 9 AM

15 minutes at 1 PM

So it's not a direct multiplier on time. But higher SPF should still protect you for longer, right? That would be true, but sunscreen becomes less effective after about 2 hours in the sun, so for most people your SPF 50 sunscreen will protect you from sunburn for the full two hours just as well as a higher SPF would.

As per the FDA, any sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher labeled "broad spectrum" will protect you from skin cancer-- higher SPFs provide greater protection from sunburn.

Folks who like to get their information in quiz form can also check out the sun protection quiz here (https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cder/sunscreen/index.html).

Hello everybody with summer fast approaching here is your regular reminder that:

Everyone needs to wear sunscreen

SPF 50 is pretty much the best protection you can get, an SPF higher than that will have the same effect

Melanin does not protect you from skin cancer

Tanning is caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Spending the majority of your life receiving regular large doses of UV radiation without any skin protection is a good way to get skin cancer

Don't use tanning beds, and don't go sun tanning

Wear your fucking sunscreen