If you forget to take your multivitamin or brush your teeth one morning, it’s unlikely you’ll experience any damage. But forgetting to slather on sunscreen before boating will bring you pain before day’s end. If you’re lucky, that excruciating
sunburn is all you’ll experience, but for many, the ultraviolet radiation damage to your skin cells may lead to cancerous tumor growth. The moral here is to make putting on sunscreen a daily habit that you skip at your peril.
The sun’s ability to burn is not deterred by the color of your skin or having a “base tan.” Nor does looking out the window and seeing clouds mean it’s OK to skip today.
While there are specialty sunscreen products on the market that may appeal, accessibility and price should never stop you from purchasing sunscreen. A convenience store brand may not feel or smell as luxurious, but that’s OK — protecting skin is a necessity, not an indulgence. Two exceptions: avoiding any products or fragrances that cause a reaction and looking for environmentally friendly sunscreens.
The two main categories of sunscreen are chemical and physical blockers. Chemical products absorb and neutralize the sun’s damaging ultraviolet A and B rays, while physical blockers deflect the rays away from your skin. The ingredients tell the story: azvobenzone, octinoxate, helioplex, or tinosorb are indications of chemical blockers, while zinc or titanium are physical (mineral) blockers.
The Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org/ says, “Avoid oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and can disrupt the hormone system. Look for products with zinc oxide, three percent avobenzone, or Mexoryl SX.” They also warn to “avoid sunscreen with vitamin A, also called retinyl palmitate or retinol.”
Protecting skin is a necessity
Chemical and mineral sunscreens display Sunburn Protection Factor (SPF) numbers on their labels. A good rule of thumb is to buy SPF 30 through 50. Less than 30 doesn’t provide an effective shield, and more than 50 may be a waste of money (boaters with medical conditions or on medication that make them more sensitive to the sun should check with their doctor to see if additional protection is needed).
Buy SPF 30 through 50
If you wear moisturizer and/or makeup with SPF, know that the numbers aren’t additive. Layering an SPF 15 over an SPF 20 doesn’t bring you to 35 — you’re still at SPF 20. Apply sunscreen in your chosen range of 30 to 50 and then use products you like on top.
Apply sunscreen before you leave your home — don’t overlook the ears, nose, hairline, hair part, and feet. Waiting until you reach the boat means you’ve been exposed to harmful rays reaching the car, driving to the marina, walking to the dock, and uncovering the boat. If you use a chemical sunscreen, apply at least 20 minutes before heading outside to give it time to work.
Apply before you leave home
Sunscreens may no longer promise to be waterproof or sweatproof — at most, they are resistant to washing away when wet. To stay on the safe side, reapply your sunscreen every hour you’re out in the sun if you swim or sweat. Not getting wet? Reapply every two hours until the sun goes down.
Give babies and dogs extra TLC. Sunscreen isn’t recommended for infants under six months of age, so keep babies out of the sun whenever possible. If they must be in the sun for even the shortest time, cover them in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the face and cover the neck and the sides of the face.
Keep your dog out of direct sunlight whenever possible. If sun avoidance isn’t possible, apply sunscreen specifically made for pooches or a baby sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Avoid sunscreens with zinc as well as those with added fragrances and cosmetic touches. If applying sunscreen to your dog is difficult, check out sun suits made for hairless breeds — they work for all dogs.
Give babies and dogs extra TLC
If you’ve had sunscreen on your boat for a couple of seasons, check its expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than three years, but if it has been exposed to high temperatures, as is likely during the summer, toss it out and get fresh supplies to reapply during the day’s adventure.
Reapply until the sun goes down
As boaters are around water and lots of gleaming white surfaces that reflect and amplify the sun’s potentially malignant rays, it’s smart to do periodic self-exams as well as discuss skin cancer with your dermatologist at least once per year.
Video: How to do a self-skin check
