Staying Safe in the Sun

Seeing my dad go through the Mohs procedure multiple times for squamous cell cancers and recover from melanoma surgery has turned me into a hat-wearing, sunscreen-slathering fool. Unfortunately, I have extremely sensitive skin, which means...
...I have to be very careful about the products I purchase since I’d like for them to protect my skin from the sun’s harmful rays without flaring up my eczema.
My go-to resource on sun-protection is The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) yearly ranking of the best sunscreens on the market (http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/). The report looks not only at how effectively the sunscreen works but also whether its ingredients are safe, especially for children and babies. Many of the highly ranked sunscreens can be found in local stores such as Rainbow Blossom and Mama’s Hip.
Dermatologists recommend that a person use a shot glass full of sunscreen (1 ounce) to cover her body and reapply it every 2 hours. There are some concerns about the use of spray sunscreens, especially on children who are more likely to inhale the fine mist particles. In order to allow sunscreen to fully penetrate the skin, doctors recommend that it be applied 30 minutes prior to sun exposure.

Contributed by Carrie Vittitoe, parent-writer for Today’s Family magazine.