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Right into the smile.
Perfect.
OK, Elaina, I got the shot.
OK, Cindy, come on.
Smile.
Perfect.
Thanks so much.
Sue Booth.
Hey, Jack!
Nice to see you!
So is it picture day here at Consumer Reports.
It's not picture day.
This is a UV camera that sees UV light.
This is a special camera that shows
sun damage on people's faces.
Oh, wow, that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
You want me to show you how it works?
Yeah, how does it work?
So here's a picture of somebody that
doesn't have the UV filter on, and you can see
there's no damage on his face.
And then in this shot--
Oh yeah.
--you can see there's a lot of damage--
There's a major difference there.
Dark spots on UV photographs indicate damage,
with the more larger spots indicating greater damage.
This is sun damage to the skin, huh?
This is sun damage to the skin.
What kind of sunscreen should I use?
Well let me bring you inside and I can show you.
That'd be great.
Thanks.
OK.
The sun maybe really far away--
93 million miles, but clearly, it
can do serious damage to our skin all year-round.
So slap on some sunscreen and you'll be OK, right?
Well, it's not as simple as it seems.
OK, so Jack, you're some of the sunscreens
that I was talking about earlier.
There are a lot of them.
There's some lotions, there's some sprays, there's some gels,
there's some sticks.
But Sue and her team of testers say one key to how well
a sunscreen works is the SPF--
that number shown on the container.
SPF is Sun Protection Factor.
So that's a protection against sunburn.
And it's really the amount of time
that it takes for your skin to redden
unprotected versus protected.
With SPF, the higher the number, the more protection.
30 blocks about 97% of reddening rays, SPF 50 blocks about 98%,
and SPF 100 blocks about 99%.
They're two different types of UV rays
that we want to be concerned about when
we're protecting our skin.
What are those?
So UVA, for one, penetrates deeply into the skin.
Well it tans your skin.
It's a main cause of wrinkling and aging,
and it can contribute to skin cancer and reddening
of the skin.
UVB rays don't penetrate as deeply as UVA rays,
and they're the main cause of sunburn
and they can also contribute to skin cancer.
What we're finding in our test is
that some of these sunscreens aren't providing
the level of protection that they
say they do on their packages.
For UVA testing, sunscreen is smeared onto a glass slide,
and testers shine ultraviolet light through it
to see how many UVA rays are absorbed by the sunscreen.
Researchers also apply sunscreen to the backs
of various test subjects.
Talk about putting your back into your work.
They allow the sunscreen to dry for 15 to 30 minutes,
then ask the test subjects just soak in a tub.
The tub simulates the effects of swimming
or other contact with water.
They were then exposed to six intensities
of simulated sunlight, and a day later, their backs
were checked for reddening.
The results were remarkable with dramatically different outcomes
between sunscreens.
And surprisingly, almost one in three sunscreens
tested at less than half their labeled SPF number,
which means you might not be getting
the degree of protection you think you are.
So what kind of information have you gathered from this?
So we've gathered that with chemical sunscreens,
they tend to work a little bit better
than the mineral sunscreens--
Really?
--for the SPF-- yes.
You know, Sue, there's a lot of people that
have questions about sunscreen.
Let's ask CR.
OK.
Hi, I'm Tinana and this is my brother.
Hi, Tavion.
It's such a nice day outside and I love swimming.
Is there sunscreen that's truly waterproof?
That's a good question.
What do you think?
Well, there really is no such thing as waterproof sunscreen,
because as soon as you're getting
in the water with sunscreen on, it's coming off your body.
But there is such a thing as water-resistant sunscreen.
That means it provides 40 minutes of sunburn protection
when you're in the water or if you've
been sweating for 40 minutes, and very water-resistant
sunscreen provides 80 minutes of protection,
but you should always reapply when you get out of the water.
Here are Sue's top sunscreen tips.
Apply 15 to 30 minutes before going outside so the sunscreen
can activate.
Reapply sunscreen every two hours.
But if you've been sweating or you've
been in the water, reapply more often.
You need a broad-spectrum sunscreen
that protects against both UVA and UVB.
But remember, no sunscreen blocks 100% of these rays.
Check that SPF number.
Sunscreen is not just about looking good,
your health is at stake.
It's not just sunburn that people need to worry about,
it's also skin cancer.
And the cumulative effects over time of sun damage
can increase your chances of getting cancer to the skin.
Many people don't apply enough sunscreen,
but Sue says you only need about an ounce.
So you know how the saying goes--
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure--
or in this case, an ounce of protection.
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