When I was a kid, no one used sunscreen. Once in awhile we'd slather on some Coppertone (or worse yet, baby oil!), but that was at the pool or the beach, and it was strictly for better tanning, not for sun protection. Which makes me a prime candidate for melanoma mutations, since the highest risk for those is associated with high sun exposure up to age 20.
Then along came sunscreen, and we've been slathering on the protection ever since. It'll prevent those nasty UV rays, right?
Maybe not.
For one thing, most of us don't use enough. Adults need a shotglassful (I can remember that amount), while kids need about a tablespoon. That's definitely more than I've been using. Plus, it doesn't even work for about 30 minutes after it's applied, so you need to think ahead. If you're already out in the sun and applying it, it's too late.
What's even more worrying is that sunscreen really doesn't work all that well. For one thing, until recently sunscreen only filtered the UVB rays, the ones that cause sunburn, allowing the cancer-causing UVA rays to run rampant on our skin. There are sunscreens available now that filter UVA rays: look for the ingredient Helioplex. These sunscreens are more expensive but totally worth it. We're talking cancer here! Another ingredient, Mexoryl, is widely available in Europe (of course) but in the U.S. only appears in sunscreen-containing moisturizer. How twisted is that?
But the very BEST protection, especially for the delicate skins of our kids, is shade. Check the daily UV index via your weather provider (what kind of phrase is that? "weather provider"? Wouldn't that be, like, God?) and if it's high, turn on the YouTube for the kiddoes and stay inside and make ice cream or something.
