WNYMoms.com

I found this list last year, so know I have to look at it every year!...........says some sunscreens are actually NOT healthy for you! In this list, a rating of 1-2 is healthy or "safe".

As a point of reference, my Dermatologist sais that in most cases a SPF 30 is sufficient. He says that if you are paying for more than 30 you're wasting $$.

I prefer to wear sun protective clothing than put sunscreen on my skin or on my kids' skin.

PapaJ, I've read the same thing. Unfortunately, some parents buy the 80-100+ with the false sense of protection. It doesn't work any better than the 30 and needs to be applied just as often! I prefer to stay out of the sun and use sunscreens with natural ingredients. I like California Baby and Badger.

I use Earth's Best Baby sunscreen for the kids and for me : )

Sort of off topic, but lately I've been thinking tan people look unhealthy. This goes against everything I was used to believe. Yesterday at swim practice there was a tan swimming instructor and a very white tan instructor. Years ago I thought having a tan made you more attractive. However, lately I've been feeling/thinking the opposite. It may just be I'm shocked by tan mom!

Perceptions change over time. Before industry drove most workers indoors, tanned skin was considered undesirable because it meant that you were of a lower class and spent your days working outside. The wealthy who didn't have to perform manual labor remained inside where they could maintain their "fair" skin. Fair skin was a sign of higher status. But in the 20th century the reverse became true. Laborers were mostly indoors and those who worked outside wore uniforms or work clothes, so they developed no tan or a tan on only parts of their body. Meanwhile, the wealthy could afford to spend their leisure time in the sun, getting a tan. So tan became the sign of higher status. I think the pendulum is swinging back a little bit now because people now understand the health risks of the sun, but I think the tanned look will still remain in vogue because of the invention of spray tan.

I read through the list and found that the sunscreen that we typically use (Kinesys) was listed as high risk, but it didn't really explain why. With so many sunscreens listed, it makes me wonder how accurate the data is. Kinesys is a wonderful sunscreen - it's alcohol and paraben free and it also sprays on with ease. It is the only sunscreen I have found that feels good once you apply it. It's expensive, but there is less waste. One little bottle lasts a long time. I have read a number of articles that state that Kinesys is one of the safer brands to use so I don't know what to make of the article. FrugalGail - I would love to see fair skin become fashionable again. I could never catch a tan in a million years.

I was going to say what PappaJ did....just went to new derm dr Tasare on monday and he emphasized same thing about spf30, esp on your face. Our house fave is neutrogena wet skin or hydrosport bc doesnt sweat off. My boyfriend works landscaping and says that is his fave now compared to a coppertone sports version. It decent priced but usually comes in smaller ounce bottle, BJs has best deals. CVS brand suncreen isnt that bad either. Big Lots has all Name brands like Neutrogena, Aveeno, etc for only $6 all summer long.

As a point of reference, my Dermatologist sais that in most cases a SPF 30 is sufficient. He says that if you are paying for more than 30 you're wasting $$.

That's exactly what my dermatologist said too. I have a friend who buys the SPF 80 and I have told her that she's wasting her money but she won't listen. You need to apply it more often and you shouldn't have to worry about burning. My kids do get a tan but they have sun screen on. Now that there are some studies out about how sun screen can cause skin cancer I'm rethinking the whole sun screen thing. We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't!

Here is an aritcle about the history of sunscreen.........ending with : "Since scientist do not have definitive answers about sunscreen and skin cancer, it is no wonder that many experts recommend that people rely on clothing and shade, rather than sunscreen, to protect themselves from sun exposure." from http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/sunscreens-exposed/sunscreen-and-skin-cancer/

My dermatologist says the same thing about anything higher than 35 is not worth the money. She also said that any color to your skin is damage to your skin that can cause cancer so I make sure my little guy is in protective clothing and has a hat on at all times when we are out in the sun. I make sure I dont't get a tan at all if I hit a point where I think I need color I think I will try spray tannning. I don't want him to have a tan or risk him getting burnt so we go the protective route and use sunscreen when we can't avoid it but reapply every hour.

Okay, I realize what the doctors say, but I'm not going to hide from the sun or feel bad for getting a little color. I barely get tanned in the summer, but is some natural color really going to hurt us? It seems a bit far fetched to me. But that's just me.

In no way do I hide from the sun but watching a close friend get part of the skin on her ear and arm removed because of skin cancer kind of makes you relize what will happen if you don't protect yourself.She was one of those people who tanned outside in the summer though I never have been. I do go out without a hat on so I am soaking up some vitamin D I just choose to not go through what she went through. I am an everything in moderation kind of person except when I know what it can do kind of like smoking I will never just have a few cigarettes because I know what smoking can and will do to your lungs and the people around you.We are very active outside but our son is protected at all times we don't hide him/

I have very close family that have had skin cancer, so I'm not blind, but according to their doctors, getting a bit of a tan isn't the problem. The problem is severe burns. What they have told us is that a severe burn can possibly cause skin cancer and if it does it will show up 10-20 years later. I've never heard that all color on skin is damaging. I guess that is surprising. Another member of my family works outside in the sun and gets very tan every summer b/c they don't wear any protection. That scares me a bit, but not just going for a walk or playing in the backyard and getting some sun.

You can get skin cancer without ever getting a severe burn. You can even get it from tanning booths if they are used regularly. And the sun is much more damaging to us today because our planet's natural protective layer, the ozone, has been so severly damaged that it no longer protects us.

For vitamin D, go out in the early morning when the rays are less damaging. Also, a simple blood test can check your levels. But remember that at our northern latitude we are at a disadvantage for vitamin D absorbtion from the sun, especially in winter.

She had never burned at all just got tan.We go to the same dermatologist and she told us both the same thing that any color change is damaging to your skin.When you get a tan it is the harmful rays from the sun that are causing the damage.Gail she told me the same thing about how much worse our ozone layer is now and how much quicker it is to cause damage.I have to take a vitamin D pill everyday because I am deficiant in it.I use to get shots.Part of living in the north.

She did say that if you are getting a tan with sunscreen on your aren't reapplying often enough or using enough.Like I said I try to stick to protective clothing for my son though.

I've read that you should apply sunscreen 15 minutes BEFORE you head outside. It must need time to soak in before it's effective.

Some say to apply 30 minutes. My facial sunscreen says 15 minutes.

I was just at Wegmans and saw they had Alda Botanica on sale for 4.99, i picked it up because:
-I needed some
-it was for children
-it says its natural
-water resistant
-made in the USA
among other things listed

I just checked the above website and it is still listed as a 6 on the Hazard scale- I am confused as to whether that websites scale is corrected, because I checked another product by them and it was a 2, the only difference was one was for children and one was for adults. Same SPF and everything. I am so confused!