The Real Story: Answering sun protection questions

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- When it comes to sun protection, there are quite a few different ways of going about it. From simply avoiding the sun, to using sunscreen, to sun-protective clothing.

Dr. Todd Rozycki is a dermatologist and MOHS surgeon with the South Bend Clinic. When it comes to chemical vs. mineral sunscreen, he says it's mostly a personal choice.

"Physical blockers use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to create a screen that will either scatter, reflect, or also convert to heat. They tend to be chalkier, whiter, heavier film, but they also are more tolerable for people that have sensitive skin,” said Rozycki. “The chemical sunscreens, they're a little bit more irritating in general, although there are some newer ones on the market that are likely to improve that."

As the SPF number goes up, the improvement in sun protection increases in smaller increments.

"I think most dermatologists say go to at least an SPF 30, because that blocks approximately 97% of ultraviolet from reaching the skin, an SPF 15 will drop you down to about 92, 93 percent, so it's a pretty significant scale jump. After that, if you go to an SPF 50 or 100, you're gaining to the 98, 99 percent range, so you're gaining a couple percentage points for those numbers," said Rozycki.

Dr. Rozycki also addressed a type of sun-protective clothing, called UPF clothing, which uses special fibers to protect against UV penetration.

“The clothing is much more effective than cotton. It blocks probably 50 times what the normal amount would be reaching your skin, so it avoids burns and damage,” said Rozycki.

He says sunscreen should be the last layer of defense, so avoid the times of day with the highest UV, use UPF clothing and reapply sunscreen often.

When it comes to sunscreen, Dr. Rozycki says you should use a broad-spectrum one because both UVA and UVB can damage the skin.

“Almost all skin aging is intrinsically from sun exposure and ultraviolet, so you're not only protecting against skin cancer, but you're also reducing your aging skin,” said Rozycki.

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