By Colleen Rothe

It was a gorgeous, perfect day at Virginia Beach. I had taken my children for a quick camping trip to Fort Story. We lounged on the warm sand and frolicked in the Atlantic Ocean. They got to see sea birds and giant freighters off the coast, build sandcastles and eat and drink right on the shore. The day ended with the most gorgeous, poster-perfect sunset. They still talk about that trip today. Not for the memory of Mom hanging with them, but for the wicked sunburn that I sustained, that still scars my back today.

I have a permanent “X” on my back where my swimsuit blocked the sun’s harmful rays. But, it wasn’t like I didn’t use sunscreen. I was slathering it on all of us, my eldest son, helping me with mine on my back. The difference? I had bought a brand new bottle for them on our way to the beach and because my youngest was still a toddler, I had a very high SPF rating for them. Mine was an old sport-tube I had used from the summer before.

At the hospital the following day, the doctor asked to see my sunscreen bottle. It was still in my purse. It was only SPF 15 – hardly enough for 8 hours at the beach, she told me. And it had expired the December before our trip that summer to Virginia Beach.

Not only that, but the bottle which I had been using had been in the glove box of my car for the entire year before. The extreme heat it was likely exposed to in the hot and humid summer of Washington D.C. inside my vehicle likely caused the protective ingredients of the sunscreen to deteriorate, making it more like putting baby oil or olive oil on my skin. In short, I was attracting more of the burning rays of the sun to my skin. I should have been clued in that the consistency of my sunscreen was different from the lotion I had just purchased to use on my children’s skin.

The second strike against me was that my bottle of sunscreen had passed its prime – it was past the expiration date. That was 2002. The expiration date was not as clearly visible on that fateful tube of sunscreen. It was there, but imprinted into the plastic of the bottle and hard to see. Since then, sunscreen companies are taking a more active role and making sure that the expiration date is clearly marked on their bottles. So, know when yours expires and store it in a cool, dry place, with the cap tightly closed.

Additionally, a large lawsuit back in 2006 helped bring to light that you can’t just put sunscreen on once before going outside and be good all day. Even the stuff that claims to be “sweat proof” or “waterproof” should be reapplied after a few hours of activity, especially where water is concerned. However, those labels are still on the products and may give consumers the wrong idea. In 1999, the FDA proposed tighter regulations that would have eliminated terms such as “waterproof,” “all-day protection,” and even the term “sun block.” But the industry lobbied successfully to keep that rule from taking effect.

There is also the whole issue that the sunscreen labels promise protection against both UVA and UVB rays. But experts contend that protection against UVA radiation is much weaker in sunscreens because one of the ingredients commonly used to block those ultraviolet rays breaks down quickly when exposed to – get this – sunlight! Granted that UVA does not cause sunburn like the UVB exposure, it’s still putting the consumer at risk and contributing to a person’s chances of getting skin cancer during their lifetime.

This summer, the FDA is still trying to get some sort of SPF-style measurement of protection against UVA. The only measurement to date is that of the rising cases of melanoma since the early 1900’s.

However, even the current SPF-style measurements for UVB rays can be confusing to consumers. My lesson was in the emergency room with second-degree sunburn. But you have to know how long it takes you to burn in the sun. For example, my doctor explained, if it takes you 30 minutes to burn after being in the sun, if you have a sunscreen on with SPF 10, it would take you 300 minutes. But my doctor didn’t recommend anyone be in the sun for 300 minutes without either a) reapplying sunscreen or b) getting out of the sun completely.

Therefore, consumers should be aware before they venture into the sun with the false sense of security that one application is good enough. Before sunscreen, people knew after a little while they had to get out of the sun or they would burn. Sunscreen lets you get a little bit longer outside play, but you still need to seek out a beach umbrella, the shade of a tree, or go back indoors. There are two schools of thought on reapplication of sunscreen. Some say the best application is to put it on 15 to 30 minutes before sun exposure begins, followed by one reapplication 15 to 30 minutes after sun exposure begins. But you will find that sunscreen product directions say reapply after two to three hours or after swimming, sweating or rubbing.

In the meantime, be sure to apply and reapply sunscreen liberally, wear a broad-rimmed hat and stay out of the sun during the hottest parts (typically the middle) of the day. Finally, know all the aspects of sun protection, so you don’t get burned.