Is It Crazy Hot?

[Nisa]

Speaking of nice sunblock, ive been using 50spf on my face for years now but recently picked up 130spf from tops. Now ive never seen anything that is this high in the states or even close to it, anyone know if the Japanese have a different way of calculating this?

I remember seeing a program that explained how sunblock worked and was measured and the bottom line is there is nothing above a certain number. Sorry but I cannot remember what that number is .. but think it is was 30 or 50 and thought the FDA in the US either was trying to or did limit what they can claim in the US to this number. Also they said a big problem is that people don't follow the direction in terms of how much to use ... the idea is to apply a lot and not just enough to lightly moisturize.

[phuturatica]

Speaking of nice sunblock, ive been using 50spf on my face for years now but recently picked up 130spf from tops. Now ive never seen anything that is this high in the states or even close to it, anyone know if the Japanese have a different way of calculating this?

I think it must be measured differently as I'm sure it can only go up to a certain number. I'm pretty sure that factor 50 is the highest. Being ginger and extremely pale, I have searched high and low and would like to say that 50SPF is the highest I've come across. The chalkier and thicker the cream is, the more effective it will be at protecting you. The easy to rub in ones aren't always that good and I sometimes still get burnt from standing outside for 5 mins even when I've applied it thinly. (yup, that's seriously how long it takes for me to burn!)

[Tywais]

Confused by SPF? Take a Number

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Published: May 13, 2009

LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year’s big gun.

This sun season, Banana Boat is retaliating with a pair of SPF 85 sprays, which it trumpets on its Web site as “our highest SPF level in a continuous spray formula.”

But now, SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

The parade of stratospheric SPFs is “crazy,” said Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatology professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “For a normal person who is fair-skinned and concerned about skin damage and photoaging,” Dr. Gilchrest said, “it’s really in my opinion tremendous overkill.”

.

<snip>

.

The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).

NY Times

[Nisa]

Looks like I got real lucky ... be back in Bangkok this weekend. I seem to have missed this brutal 2-week period. It was definitely toasty before I left but I don't think it was anything like the temps I saw the last 2 weeks and now it appears it is going back to just being hot and not brutally hot.

Hopefully the rains will come soon too ... i love when the cool winds kick up right before a storm.

[fobuff]

wimps thailand is hot and that is why i like it. it is better than -30 c and 3 m of snow for 4 months... QC canada

[Nisa]

Confused by SPF? Take a Number

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Published: May 13, 2009

LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year’s big gun.

This sun season, Banana Boat is retaliating with a pair of SPF 85 sprays, which it trumpets on its Web site as “our highest SPF level in a continuous spray formula.”

But now, SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

The parade of stratospheric SPFs is “crazy,” said Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatology professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “For a normal person who is fair-skinned and concerned about skin damage and photoaging,” Dr. Gilchrest said, “it’s really in my opinion tremendous overkill.”

.

<snip>

.

The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).

NY Times

I would guess the only way to truly reach 100% protection is to have somebody wheel you around in a sealed concrete box. ;-)

I'm currently too tired (lazy) to look it up but I wonder if the Vitamin D we get from the sun is also being blocked along along with the UV Rays. These cremes always talk about how much they block of the harmful rays but wonder if they also block the healthy ones.

And I have still yet to determine if you still get a tan wearing sunblock an/or it just prevents burning. I've heard also sorts of things on this but I would think if you can't get burned then you can't get tan but really have no idea if the two are really related..

[roamer]

Confused by SPF? Take a Number

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Published: May 13, 2009

LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year’s big gun.

This sun season, Banana Boat is retaliating with a pair of SPF 85 sprays, which it trumpets on its Web site as “our highest SPF level in a continuous spray formula.”

But now, SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

The parade of stratospheric SPFs is “crazy,” said Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatology professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “For a normal person who is fair-skinned and concerned about skin damage and photoaging,” Dr. Gilchrest said, “it’s really in my opinion tremendous overkill.”

.

<snip>

.

The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).

NY Times

I would guess the only way to truly reach 100% protection is to have somebody wheel you around in a sealed concrete box. ;-)

I'm currently too tired (lazy) to look it up but I wonder if the Vitamin D we get from the sun is also being blocked along along with the UV Rays. These cremes always talk about how much they block of the harmful rays but wonder if they also block the healthy ones.

And I have still yet to determine if you still get a tan wearing sunblock an/or it just prevents burning. I've heard also sorts of things on this but I would think if you can't get burned then you can't get tan but really have no idea if the two are really related..

From my daughters A level research project,

" a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 8 reduces the production of previtamin D3 by 95%, and 99% by a sun protection factor of 15. ^7"

But you can get D's from oily fish right ?

"The vitamin D content in mackerel, traditionally considered to be an excellent source of vitamin D because of its oily content, was recorded at only 24 IU in a 3.5 ounce portion. The European recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults is 400 IU, so therefore an intake of 50 ounces of mackerel would be necessary to meet the RDA."

Scary stuff, guess which family now have Vit D supplements ?

(7) Matsuoka LY, Ide L, Wortsman J, MacLaughlin J, Holick MF: Sunscreens suppress cutaneous vitamin D3 synthesis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3033008

(11) . J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. Z. Lu, T.C. Chen 2007

[Nisa]

Confused by SPF? Take a Number

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Published: May 13, 2009

LAST year, Coppertone rolled out two easy-to-use sprays with its highest-ever sun protection factor: SPF 70+. Not to be outdone, Neutrogena offered its Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch lotion in SPF 85 strength, that year’s big gun.

This sun season, Banana Boat is retaliating with a pair of SPF 85 sprays, which it trumpets on its Web site as “our highest SPF level in a continuous spray formula.”

But now, SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.

The parade of stratospheric SPFs is “crazy,” said Dr. Barbara A. Gilchrest, a dermatology professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “For a normal person who is fair-skinned and concerned about skin damage and photoaging,” Dr. Gilchrest said, “it’s really in my opinion tremendous overkill.”

.

<snip>

.

The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).

NY Times

I would guess the only way to truly reach 100% protection is to have somebody wheel you around in a sealed concrete box. ;-)

I'm currently too tired (lazy) to look it up but I wonder if the Vitamin D we get from the sun is also being blocked along along with the UV Rays. These cremes always talk about how much they block of the harmful rays but wonder if they also block the healthy ones.

And I have still yet to determine if you still get a tan wearing sunblock an/or it just prevents burning. I've heard also sorts of things on this but I would think if you can't get burned then you can't get tan but really have no idea if the two are really related..

From my daughters A level research project,

" a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 8 reduces the production of previtamin D3 by 95%, and 99% by a sun protection factor of 15. ^7"

But you can get D's from oily fish right ?

"The vitamin D content in mackerel, traditionally considered to be an excellent source of vitamin D because of its oily content, was recorded at only 24 IU in a 3.5 ounce portion. The European recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults is 400 IU, so therefore an intake of 50 ounces of mackerel would be necessary to meet the RDA."

Scary stuff, guess which family now have Vit D supplements ?

(7) Matsuoka LY, Ide L, Wortsman J, MacLaughlin J, Holick MF: Sunscreens suppress cutaneous vitamin D3 synthesis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/3033008

(11) . J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. Z. Lu, T.C. Chen 2007

Wow, thanks for that. I wonder if this is partially to blame for the high level of Vitamin D Deficiency in Bangkok ... besides of course some peoples (especially females) absolute fear of getting out in the sun. My understanding is these whitening creams so many Thais use are nothing more than sun blocks.

See:

[meand]

Hot I can handle (sort of), annoying co-workers that want to "save the world" and keep the free air on the minimum amount possible (at least as far as they are concerned) I fond much more difficult to handle.

[meand]

I literally used to stay out in the sun 8 hours a day, about 300 days a year. Here is what I found about SPF numbers -- the one thing I have to say is this was all water resistant stuff, because I was going in and out of the water.....

-I used the highest spf numbers I could find. We always talked about this, and you see differing opinions, but I really noticed the higher numbers do seem to hang in there longer (yet wont necessarily protect you better for short stints).

-Using a LOT of it really helps (logical, but maybe many don't know). If you want it to last, kinda like painting a house, put a really good coat on. Especially important if you are in the water or sweating a lot like in Bangkok. Also, put it on as soon as you can before you go in the water or sweat.

I found high spf banana boat to be the absolute best. And no I don't own shares or anything. I actually looked into it once and I think it has something to do with the size of the sunblocking chemical -- it's large in theirs -- and has a better tendency to stay buried in your skin (if I remember correctly). The nice part is, banana boat is really cheap. I tried neutrogena once because it was on sale at big lots.... the expensive stuff burned the hell out of my eyes!! Ha, go figure.

Those spf numbers are confusing, but I do like to stick with the high ones if it matters to anybody. I think they have a stronger tendency to last longer in water and sweat. And for the real aficionados, and areas that are getting pummeled all day like your nose or lips, put some zinc oxide on after applying the sunblock.