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" EDITOR&amp;#039;S NOTE: Last year, skin doctors and beach-goers alike welcomed the news that the FDA had issued strict new labeling requirements for sun-protection lotions and creams. The regulations were slated to go into effect on June 18, 2012 (with smaller companies given a year&amp;#039;s leeway to make the changes). Those are the changes described in this article. But on May 11, 2012, after the June edition of Good Housekeeping had been printed and mailed, the FDA decided to allow manufacturers an additional six months \u2014 to December 18 \u2014 to upgrade their labels. So while you&amp;#039;ll see many products with the new info, there may still be old ones on shelves, too. Our advice: For outdoor use, look for a lotion with an SPF of at least 30, that also protects against UVA light, and even if it says &amp;quot;waterproof,&amp;quot; reapply every two hours. Once upon a time (last year), picking the right bottle of sunscreen was more like a guessing game than an informed consumer choice: Did you need an SPF of 100+, or would 15 suffice? Generic or brand-name? Would a $5 product cut it, or did you have to spend five times that much? And just what were those unpronounceable ingredients? This year, you no longer have to wonder: New FDA-mandated labels are required on almost all sunscreens by June 18. &amp;quot;The packages will be more about test results and less about marketing,&amp;quot; says an enthusiastic Theresa Pacheco, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado. Here&amp;#039;s your guide to what&amp;#039;s new in the bold \u2014 and fine \u2014 print.     What the Numbers Mean   SPF 8 SPF 15 SPF 30 SPF 50 SPF 100   % OF ULTRAVIOLET B RAYS FILTERED OUT   87% 93% 97% 98% 99%   Sun Protection Factor: The higher the number, the more effective the product is at screening out the sun&amp;#039;s UVB rays (and the longer it will take for you to burn). The FDA has proposed capping claims at 50+, since there&amp;#039;s little evidence that higher SPFs provide any benefit.     Same Product, New Info Vanishing acts: Labels drop vague claims (like &amp;quot;long-lasting&amp;quot;), while &amp;quot;very water-resistant&amp;quot; is now measured in minutes. 2011&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;high UVA&amp;quot; has been replaced with the science-based &amp;quot;broad spectrum.&amp;quot; Sensible SPF  The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) indicates a product&amp;#039;s effectiveness against sunburn-causing ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. If a bare-skinned fair person reddens in four minutes, an SPF 30 ups that time to 120 minutes (the simple math: 4 x 30 = 120). The ratings have been around for decades, but in recent years, there&amp;#039;s been a lot of action on the high end, with an SPF of 70 hitting the market in 2007 and an SPF of 100+ becoming available in 2009.  What&amp;#039;s new No more &amp;quot;sunblock&amp;quot; claims. There is no total blocker; if you see such a claim, now considered &amp;quot;false or misleading&amp;quot; by the FDA, it&amp;#039;s either on an old product or on old packaging \u2014 or it could be on a product from a smaller company (these have been granted an extra year to make the label changes).  Look for An SPF of 30. That should be plenty for most people outdoors, though some dermatologists advise that patients who&amp;#039;ve had skin cancer or other conditions go with a higher SPF. Regardless of SPF, you need to reapply every two hours.  (Real) Aging Protection  For protection against skin cancer and damage that leads to wrinkles and age spots, you need a sunscreen that also shields against ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. These reach deeper layers of your skin, disrupting its immune system and causing genetic changes that can lead to cancer. What&amp;#039;s new Labels that tell you if you&amp;#039;re getting adequate UVA protection. The key words: &amp;quot;broad spectrum.&amp;quot; Before this year, that claim meant only that the product contained an ingredient that provided some UVA protection. Now it tells you that the sunscreen has been tested to prove it works against UVA rays. &amp;quot;Previously we didn&amp;#039;t have enough research to establish an accurate test,&amp;quot; explains FDA spokesperson Shelly Burgess. &amp;quot;Now we do.&amp;quot; Look for &amp;quot;Broad spectrum&amp;quot; and an SPF of at least 15. UVA protection works in tandem with SPF, so a broad-spectrum SPF 30 product must have more UVA protection than a broad-spectrum SPF 15 one. Below SPF 15, no product can claim to protect against cancer or early aging. Also check out the now-required drug facts box. Broad-spectrum sunscreens that are SPF 15 and up get bragging rights to say, &amp;quot;If used as directed with other sun-protection measures, decreases the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun.&amp;quot; Those that don&amp;#039;t meet that standard must read, &amp;quot;Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert: Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.&amp;quot; Clear Water Claims Labels stating that a product is &amp;quot;waterproof&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;sweatproof&amp;quot; are banned now, too. (With enough water exposure, all sunscreens eventually come off.) Nor will you have to wonder what &amp;quot;very water-resistant&amp;quot; means.  What&amp;#039;s new Numbers. Under the new rules, labels get specific, using a test modeled on how people tend to swim \u2014 about 20 minutes in the pool, with drying time between dips. &amp;quot;Water-resistant (40 minutes)&amp;quot; on the label means the product maintains its SPF through two 20-minute swims; &amp;quot;water-resistant (80 minutes)&amp;quot; indicates the same SPF lasts through four 20-minute swims.  Look for A rating of water-resistant (80 minutes) if you&amp;#039;re really swimming; more sunscreen will stay on your body when you get in the water, says Zoe Draelos, M.D., vice president of the American Academy of Dermatology. &amp;quot;But if you&amp;#039;re just walking along the beach and taking an occasional dip, you might want to go with the 40, because the 80 will be stickier.&amp;quot;   The Personal Touch No matter how carefully you shop, you&amp;#039;ll lose out on protection if you make these common mistakes: Using too little A little dab won&amp;#039;t do you \u2014 your goal is to coat your skin. Skimpy application can lower protection dramatically, possibly turning the &amp;quot;SPF 30&amp;quot; on the bottle into SPF 6 or lower on your body. It takes about an ounce (a generous palmful) to cover an adult. That means your eight-ounce tube won&amp;#039;t last a summer \u2014 maybe not even one family beach outing. Applying it too late Don&amp;#039;t wait until you&amp;#039;ve found the perfect spot for your beach chair. Chemically active ingredients (such as avobenzone) take about 15 minutes to penetrate the skin, where they absorb UV light before it can cause damage.  Missing your kisser and other key spots. Lips have thin skin \u2014 besides leading to skin cancer, sun exposure can make them speckled and lined. So choose a balm with broad-spectrum protection. &amp;quot;People also neglect the rims and backs of their ears and the tops of their feet \u2014 places we see a higher risk of cancer,&amp;quot; says Deborah S. Sarnoff, M.D., senior vice president of the Skin Cancer Foundation.  Letting bugs into the system Insect repellent with DEET can lower SPF. For combined protection from the sun and the need to swat, you might want to choose a higher SPF than you normally use. Make sure the sunscreen dries before applying DEET.  Forgetting about the sunny indoors If you drive to work or your office has a window, you&amp;#039;re getting UVA rays through the glass. In the morning, put sunscreen on your face and also on your neck and chest \u2014 &amp;quot;huge age-revealers,&amp;quot; says Dr. Pacheco. Moisturizers and makeup with sunscreen are perfect for days of only casual sun exposure. Look for &amp;quot;broad spectrum&amp;quot; and an SPF of 15 or higher; you can be sure the product has both if you spot the Skin Cancer Foundation&amp;#039;s Seal of Recommendation for Daily Use. (Putting the seal on the label is optional; for a list of products that make the grade, go to skincancer.org/seal). Relying only on sunscreen Even the new labels tell you: Wearing protective clothing has to be part of your sunburn-, cancer-, and wrinkle-prevention strategy. Apply lotion, but also wear a hat, long sleeves, and pants, and try to remain in the shade. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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