FAQ's

A general discussion of today’s sunscreen questions and answers:

Question: What does SPF stand for? -back to top
Answer: SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.

Question: It is safe to use sunscreen on an infant? -back to top
Answer: It was previously believed that infants under six months should not wear sunscreen. In the August 1999 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics release a policy statement that parents can now use sunscreen on infants younger than six months. It is still recommended to avoid sun exposure all together or dressing babies in lightweight long sleeved shirts and pants. "However, there's no evidence that using sunscreen on small areas of a baby's skin causes harm." Experts now say sunscreen is far less risky to babies than once thought, and not nearly as risky as unprotected exposure to the sun.
Children may have undetected allergies and sensitivities. Before going into the sun for the first time, test a sunscreen on a small spot on the skin. If the spot turns red or shows signs of irritation overnight, avoid the use of sunscreen and keep the child out of the sun until a dermatologist can determine the cause of the problem.

Question: Can any sun care products provide total protection? -back to top
Answer: No product is a total sunblock. The normal range of protection is between 94-98% depending on the SPF protection. IMPORTANT: Practice other sun-safe measures, such as avoiding the mid-day sun and wearing sun protective clothing such as a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Question: Can I use sunscreen with bug repellent, and get two-in-one protection? -back to top
Answer: No. Consumer Reports did testing and this is what they found, "As for insect repellent with sunscreen, the two we tested for a report last June did not repel bugs especially well. A study published in 1997 showed that deet can reduce a sunscreen's SPF by up to one-third." Consumer Reports, June 2001. If you are going to use both sunscreen and bug repellent, put on the sunscreen first and let it set-up 15-30 minutes. Then put on your favorite bug repellent.

Question: What's the difference between two sunscreens with the same SPF? -back to top
Answer: Formulation: Many sunscreens have the same or similar active ingredients, but the difference is the median in which those active ingredients are placed. It is the median that determines how well a sunscreen works. That is why Rocky Mountain Sunscreen uses a Bonding Base formula. It stays on the skin better, and lasts longer without clogging the pores of your skin.

Question: Is it true that you don't need anything above an SPF-15? -back to top
Answer: For fair skinned individuals and people on certain medications (ask your doctor).
While an SPF 15 is considered to be a sunblock, it does allow for some tanning. For example, three days of summer sunshine on a Florida beach, maintaining an SPF 15 protection prevents burning, yet allows a fair-skinned person to achieve a moderate tan.

Question: What is melanoma? -back to top
Answer: Melanoma, a very serious skin cancer, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing tanning cells. Melanomas may suddenly appear without warning but can also develop from or near a mole. They are found most frequently on the upper backs of men and women or on the legs of women, but can occur anywhere on the body. The overall incidence of melanoma is rising at an alarming rate. In 2003, at current rates one in 67 Americans have a lifetime risk of developing invasive melanoma, a 2000% increase from 1930. In addition, one in 39 Americans have a lifetime risk of developing melanoma, invasive or non-invasive.

Question: How many people will develop melanoma this year? -back to top
Answer: According to the American Melanoma Foundation, there will be about 108,230 new cases of melanoma in 2007 – 48,290 in situ (noninvasive) and 59,940 invasive (33,910 men and 26,030 women). In 2007, at current rates, a person has a one in 33 chance of developing melanoma (both in situ and invasive). The risk of developing invasive melanoma is one in 63. One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 65 minutes). In 2007, 8,110 deaths will be attributed to melanoma – 5,220 men and 2,890 women.6 Older Caucasian males have the highest mortality rates from melanoma.

Question: Does Sunscreen damage coral reefs? -back to top
Answer: The sunscreen ingredients approved by the FDA are not biodegradable - including Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide which are often billed as natural ingredients. That means sunscreens aren't biodegradable. Anyone who says they have a biodegradable sunscreen is stretching the truth. Here's where it gets tricky: Sunscreens are applied to people and don't get poured onto the ground or into the water. Some sunscreens wash off and clog filters at water parks where large crowds and in and out of the water, for example. The RMS Bonding Base sunscreen does not do this. Some sunscreens are absorbed into the body and eventually leave in a biodegradable form. The rest is washed off with soap and water at some point and is flushed away with the soap to the water treatment facility. The impact of sunscreens to the environment is too minimal to notice, especially, RMS which is extremely environmentally friendly.

The folks who claim to have a biodegradable sunscreen really don't. What they are really saying is that their product won't damage the environment.

Question: What is constitutes a “natural” “Organic” or “Chemical Free” sunscreen? -back to top
Answer: To quote Nadim A. Shaath, PhD., “Author of The Sunscreen Filter” and President of Alpha Research & Development, July 18, 2008, Happi Magazine (Household and Personal Products Industry): “You can’t believe everything you read. Until recently, information on sun protection has generally made its way from the top down, passing from industry and academia to the consumer via traditional media. Experts with credentials relayed skin care news to a receptive and silent audience. Any debate over sunscreen issues once engaged corporate interests and scientific inquiry in a dialogue between professionals. Things have changed; newcomers have joined the conversation. In today’s information age, any individual can freely comment on any sunscreen topic and promote his concerns. Blogging has given voice to an unheard consumer with such a force as to weigh the online discussion toward the participants with the most internet savvy rather than privileging those with the most accurate information. With the increased online banter, legitimate warnings must be issued regarding the validity of information on the web.”
Yes, Rocky Mountain Sunscreen is a commercial website, and yes, we think we have one of the best sunscreens in the country. So, to insure accuracy of information, here is a link to Dr. Shaath’s entire article that addresses the above questions: http://happi.com/articles/2008/07/the-sunscreen-filter

Question: How is the light spectrum measured? -back to top
Answer: The unit of measure for light is a nanometer. One nanometer (nm) equals one billionth of a meter. It is used to determine where light is on the spectrum. It is a scale for measuring light, not unlike the Fahrenheit scale used for measuring temperature or the inch scale used for measuring length. Solar radiation consists of a continuous spectrum of wavelengths, which can be compared to a radio dial.
At one end of the dial is the infra red light. It has a wavelength longer than 770nm. Visible light comprises the middle of the dial with wavelengths between 400nm and 770nm. The remainder of the dial is made up of blue light consisting of invisible ultraviolet light and visible blue light. It has wavelengths between 220nm and 400nm.

Question: What do they mean by UVA, UVB and UVC? -back to top
Answer: Ultraviolet can be subdivided into UVA, UVB, and UVC regions.
The UVA region of the ultraviolet radiation extends from 320nm to 400nm.
The UVB region of the ultraviolet radiation extends from 290nm to 320nm. This region produces sunburn, skin cancer, and photoaging.
The UVC region extends from 200nm to 290nm. It is absorbed by the ozone layer of the stratosphere and does not reach the surface of the earth.

Question: If one application of SPF 4 absorbs 75% of radiation, how much would four applications absorb? -back to top
Answer: HINT: It would not be equal to that of an SPF 16. If four separate layers of sunscreen could be applied to the skin the total protection factor would only be approximately an SPF 4 to 5. In all actuality, it would be very difficult to build up the layers of sunscreen, one on top of the other, to uniformly produce a higher SPF.

Question: Is it true that an SPF 4 absorbs twice as much as an SPF 2? -back to top
Answer: SPF ratings conform to the principle of diminishing returns. In other words, the larger the numbers are, the smaller the gain in protection. This point can be illustrated by Farmer Joe's experience in fertilizing his field. The first time Farmer Joe fertilizes his crops his production doubles. After seeing this increase in production Farmer Joe decides to double the fertilizer to double his production again. This time, however, his production increased only by 25%. As he doubles his fertilizer time and time again the percent of increase in production is minimal. The moral of the story is that more isn't always better.
An SPF 2 absorbs 50% of the radiation, an SPF 4 absorbs 75%, which is a 50% increase in protection. SPF 30 absorbs 97.0% and a SPF 45 absorbs 97.8%. This is less than a one percent increase in protection. Is a SPF 45 that much better than a SPF 30? Perhaps - but not by a lot. An SPF 50 absorbs 98.0%. This is a 0.2% increase over an SPF 45.

Question: Can medications and allergies produce temporary sun sensitivity to products and /or the sun itself? -back to top
Answer: Some medications shift the skins UV sensitivity to a different area in the light spectrum where sunscreens don't provide protection. Sunscreens may impact or interfere with the effectiveness of some medications. Always check medications, including common OTC drugs, for sun warnings. Insect repellants and fragrances are examples of products that may produce an irritation or rash.

Here is a link to a WebMD Feature By Leanna Skarnulis and reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD that helps identify some of the culprits that can reduce sun sensitivity: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/beware-of-sunburn-boosters

Question: How does the human body protect itself against sunburn? -back to top
Answer: UV rays cause the skin to produce Melanin, a brown pigment, which acts as the body's natural sunscreen. In addition, gradual exposure to sunlight produces a thickening of the outer skin. These both exist to defend the skin from harmful radiation.
Skin peeling after a sunburn is one way the body protects itself. If a cell has a small amount of damage to its DNA, the damage will be repaired and continue to function normally. If the damage is excessive, the repair could miss some of the mutations that could cause skin cancer and the cell simply eliminates itself. It is the death of these gene-damaged cells that causes the skin to peel after a sunburn. A protein named Fos is the key to the cell elimination process. This is the result of a study by Laurie Owen-Schwab and published in Science.

Question: Why should I be concerned about a sunburn or daily sun exposure? -back to top
Answer: You never completely recover from a sunburn. The effects of daily sun exposure and especially sunburn are cumulative. The skin gradually loses its protective capabilities until symptoms of skin aging and cancer develop. A recent study shows that short periods of exposure to UVB radiation reduce the skin's ability to produce collagen and elastin. This is the hallmark of long-term exposure to UV radiation and is believed to be responsible for the wrinkled appearance of sun-exposed skin. Photos have been published depicting pairs of siblings, one of whom experienced long term sun exposure and one whom did not. One's skin is smooth as a peach; the other is wrinkled as a prune.

Question: How does Bonding Base prevent the buildup of undesirable body heat? -back to top
Answer: Bonding Base sets into the top layers of the skin (stratum corneum) where it doesn't build up undesirable body heat, better allows for natural perspiration, and does not tend to rub off onto towels or critical equipment. This "Bonding Base" feature maintains the sunscreen on the skin longer and more comfortably than other formulations.

Question: All products with the same SPF rating perform equally? -back to top
Answer: Some products simply don’t work too well. One brand we tested with a Highly Water Resistant rating came off completely after only 10 minutes in salt water. We tested a 20 person panel. Those people who went in the ocean at the start of the test showed a visible burn after 2 hours. Reapplying just doesn’t work in these cases. There is a wide performance difference between brands. SPF testing is done in a laboratory and doesn’t match real world conditions too well. It’s important to find a product that performs and stay with it.

Question: It is true that most people simply don't apply enough sunscreen? -back to top
Answer: It’s true that in a few cases people really do apply too little. This is the exception and not the rule. The most common problem is missed spots. Almost everyone who has used a sunscreen has at one time or another missed spots and received a sunburn. Men appear to be the most haphazard. Often large parts of the body are missed. Frequent applications normally don’t help because the same application pattern that missed the spots the first time is repeated again and again.

Question: Is it important to always reapply sunscreen? -back to top
Answer: To function properly, a sunscreen has to attach in some manner to the skin. This is what holds it in place. The first application of the day already is in place and new applications only sit on top of what’s already there. Sunscreen doesn’t bind to sunscreen very well and the subsequent applications are free to migrate around the skin and are easily washed or rubbed off. Reapplication doesn't necessarily work too well. The first application of the day is the most important and it's important to take the time to do it properly. It is better to limit sun exposure that to count on reapplication for protection. Also, there simply is no product on the market that will apply properly over wet skin, regardless of the claim. This is a sure fire way to get a sunburn. Heat makes skin a lot more sensitive. Any type of product applied after the skin is heated by the sun, a hot bath or shower etc can cause irritation.

Question: It you apply half the amount, do you get half the protection? -back to top
Answer: This really isn’t true! The product is designed so that if you get it onto the skin you actually have the protection. What happens in real life is much worse!
When you use less sunscreen than required, large areas end up with no protection at all. This produces a pattern of protected and burned areas. The skin acts a little like a sponge. As you rub it on, the skin absorbs what it needs and releases the rest to be spread to other areas. When you apply too little, the other areas simply don’t get sunscreen. A good rule to follow is to always be able to feel the sunscreen under your fingertips as you apply.

Question: I’m young – what, me worry about skin cancer or aging skin? -back to top
Answer: Daily sun exposure isn’t trivial. Even if you have limited daily exposure and , depending on lifestyle, you will still get about as much sun in one to three months as in an afternoon at the beach. Sun damage is cumulative also it never completely heals. Wearing a daily sunscreen will help reduce the premature aging.

Question: Why do sunscreens stain clothes? -back to top
Answer: Octinoxate is used in almost every sunscreen manufactured. If you apply octinoxate directly to clothes or if you apply it carelessly and spread it onto clothes, it will turn brown with sun exposure. This applies to all brands of sunscreen. This can be removed in the wash using typical stain removers. If the sunscreen is applied and allowed to dry before it touches cloth, it will not stain.

Question: If a child puts on an SPF 15 (anybody's...) and then puts a 30 or 45 on, does the child have that level of protection? -back to top
Answer: The SPF 15 would be attached to the skin. The SPF 30 would wash right off quickly in water. In our beach tests, we found this to be the case. From our instruments, we found that the overall absorbance didn't increase much when you did this. It also applies to reapplying sunscreen. It doesn't do a lot of good.

Question: Are Nano Particles used in sunscreens? -back to top
Answer: Nano Particles are micro sized particles that are specifically designed to penetrate deep into the skin. They are used by cosmetic and drug products to deliver active ingredients to specific locations deep in the skin. In order for a sunscreen to work properly, UV rays have to be filtered and eliminated before they reach the skin. Nano Particles deep down in the skin do not block, reflect or eliminate UV rays. The sun damage is done closer to the surface. Particles used in sunscreens, specifically, Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are specifically sized so that they DO NOT penetrate the skin, but instead, remain on the surface. There, they block and reflect UV rays so they cannot reach the surface of the skin. The Nano Particles in sunscreen stories are just internet folklore.