The Sun-kissed Glow; The Precancerous Glow

It's that time of year again.  Summer.  Although it is not June 21st yet, it is that time of year where millions of people take a weekend vacation to the beach.  Including my family.  I noticed right away that one of my children seemed to be glowing a bit red where I had missed applying sunscreen.  Not good.  Her little area beneath one eye is pink now and puffy and to be honest, I just don't even look at tans the way I used to. I hate to admit that once upon a time in my teens and twenties, I coveted and regularly paid for tanning appointments.  A tan made me feel thinner which I desperately wanted to be.  My mother regularly tanned as well, though she won't now thanks to a brush with squamous cell carcinoma.  Seriously, if you tan or love to tan, give it up.  It's just not worth it later in life.  Hers looked like a wart.  I think she has at least 10 stitches?  Whatever the outcome, it is not worth it.

So, of course when you get to the beach and see hundreds of people flocking to the beach, you wonder... do people know about sunscreen?  Do they realize that the sunscreen industry is changing and that the FDA is also changing things?

Go ahead and lose the word sunscreen first.  Currently, sunscreen standards relate to UVB sun exposure, the primary cause of sunburns and a contributor to skin cancer and premature aging. Under the FDA's new rules, the sunscreens will also have to be tested and labeled to disclose UVA protection. Radiation from this type of sun ray is more deeply penetrating, passes through windows, and is linked to skin cancer and early aging.

This summer, if the FDA determines that a sunscreen protects both from UVA and UVB, it will be labeled broad spectrum.  Sunscreen will no longer be able to say they are waterproof or sweat proof.  No more labeling that a sunscreen can stay on longer than two hours without reapplying.

The playing field is about to become level, and it is most definitely time.

I personally use Blue Lizard Sunscreen, and I can't say enough good things about it.  My dermatologist recommended it, and I use it daily on my face!