TEMPLE, Texas (KXXV) — When it comes to summer activities and rising temperatures, it's important to think about skin protection and the many forms of sunscreen to choose from. A local dermatologist from Baylor Scott and White talks about which sunscreen is the right one for you.
- The ways to protect yourself from the summer sun are with sunscreen, shade, hats, long-sleeved shirts, and some kind of physical protection.
- To battle sun damage or skin cancer, Dr. Kate Fiala with Baylor Scott and White suggests using a sunscreen with SPF 50.
- The American Academy of Dermatology Association estimates that 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, so it's important to use sunscreen when outdoors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
If you fall into social media doomscrolling, don’t get caught falling for false claims, like eating watermelon can replace putting on sunscreen. Dr. Katie Fiala, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Baylor Scott and White, reiterates the importance of protecting your skin as the summer months heat up.
“So with the sun, the UV radiation definitely increases our risk for skin cancer, and currently the only way to protect yourself from that is either with sunscreen, shade, hats, long sleeve shirts, some kind of physical protection,” Dr. Fiala said.
“To battle sun damage that's already there or you've already had a skin cancer, I would recommend that you pick an SPF of 50. There are many makeups and moisturizers that have an SPF of 15 or 20, which is not quite enough for the middle of the day here in Texas, so I would recommend something higher,” she said.
When it comes to choosing which sunscreen will protect you, there are plenty of options, but not all are created equal. With different SPFs, creams, sprays, and now mineral sunscreen, what’s the difference?
“The nice thing about the mineral is that they also protect us from the florescent lights, the blue light from your screen, so there’s a little bit of damage that we’re even getting from those lights, so, that’s a good thing about the minerals it can protect from that as well,” Dr. Fiala said.
“Many of the companies are adding a tint to them so that they can match your skin tone a little bit better. So, that’s really appealing. There are multiple other brands besides these that have a tinted mineral, and that is what I personally prefer if it’s something I’m going to be wearing daily. It’s really nice because a mineral sunscreen will match your skin tone, other than being the bright white,” she said.
Dr. Fiala also reminds us to check the expiration date on our sunscreens and never keep them in our cars. The heat will kill the protectant and make your sunscreen unusable.
