Sooner or later, wrinkles happen to everyone due to natural skin aging and gravity. However, without proper sun protection, skin ages a lot faster, and unfortunately, damage is irreversible.

There are two types of protection used in skin care products: physical and chemical, where physical block reflects sun rays, and chemical absorbs them, similar to melanin, before they can do any harm.

Physical sun screens include zinc oxide and titanium oxide, with zinc oxide (aka Z-Cote) being more powerful. Now creams with Z-Cote are available in wearable form, when they do not look like white paste, but spread into an invisible barrier that reflects both UVB and UVA sun rays.

Most powerful UVB screen is PABA, but it is not perfect for everyone as it often can cause an allergic reaction. Other chemical screens are:

· Cinnamates absorb UVB. · Benzophenones absorb UVA. · Anthranilates absorb UVA and UVB.

Usually, your sunscreen product will contain several protective ingredients, as combining them provides better shield, according to research.

FDA requires each batch of sunscreen products to go through SPF testing to ensure effectiveness of product. At this time, sun protection factor applies to UVB rays only as more research is necessary to determine standards for UVA protection.

As a rule, SPF number translates into amount of time one can safely be in sun without burning. If you are an individual with fair skin and burn in 10 minutes if unprotected, SPF 15 will allow you to stay in sun 15 times longer (150 minutes). If your skin is dark and you burn in 30 minutes, same product will protect you for 450 minutes.

This formula is very approximate and does not provide for real life conditions: wind, humidity, season, your location, etc. Humidity and wind, for example, maximize power of sun rays, and your SPF 15 lotion may offer much less protection when used on a breezy day or near water. Proximity to equator and elevation should not be forgotten: closer you are to sun, stronger its effect.

Reapplying your SPF often provides better protection than purchasing a product with a higher SPF number. SPF protection does not actually increase proportionately with an SPF number. Under lab conditions, SPF 2 equals 50% absorption of burning UVB rays, SPF of 15 indicates 93%, and SPF 30 and higher - 97% absorption.

As you see, some sunrays will still reach your skin, even if you use lotion with a high SPF number. To shield these remaining rays, use other means of sun protection: clothes, hats, umbrellas and shades. Please remember that many surfaces - snow, sand, water, concrete - reflect sun rays, so don't be surprized if you got tan or burn even though you spent most of your beach day under umbrella.

(C) Natalie Katsman, 2004