10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sun Protection
You can avoid burns by wearing a UV-monitoring wristband. According to David Bank, MD, president of the New York State Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, it’s easy to assume that once you’ve put on sunscreen for the day, you don’t need to reapply. Instead of wondering if you’re getting too much sun or pressing your finger against your skin to gauge it (which doesn’t really work), consider using a smarter method promoted by dermatologists: UV-monitoring wristbands. “These tell you when you should reapply sunscreen based on how much sun exposure you are getting,” explains Dr. Bank. ”The wristbands provide you with a simple sun-sensitive gauge that alerts you through color change when you need to reapply sunscreen and when to get out of the sun and its potential damaging effects.” You can find these types of bands at your dermatologist’s office or purchase them online.

The  wristband acts as a sun-sensitive gauge: apply sunscreen to your body and to the wristband before sunbathing, going to the beach, playing by the pool or just enjoying the outdoors. Watch as the band changes colors so you know exactly when you need to reapply and avoid the risk of painful sun damage, keeping your skin healthy and radiant.

The band will work with any sunscreen that’s SPF 15 or higher and can be worn in salt, fresh or chlorinated water so you don’t have to limit your outdoor activities. Playing sports, swimming, running or just hanging out in the backyard has never been easier, safer or more worry free.
Heading outdoors for some Memorial Day fun in the sun?

Some 90 percent of non-melanoma cancers and 65 percent of melanomas stem from the sun—its UV rays barrage the skin, wreaking havoc on each cell’s DNA. As powerful as UV rays are, you can fend them off with sunscreen—but only if you apply it the right way. To practice safe sun, separate SF fact from fiction:

SPF adds up. (Two coats of SPF 15 sunscreen equals SPF 30.) The truth SPF tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting burned compared with when your skin is bare. If you start to redden after 5 minutes, then an SPF 30 product lets you stay out 30 times longer without burning: 5 x 30 = 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours.

Take action Sweating, swimming, toweling off—and the tiny dab you applied—dramatically shorten this time frame. Put on at least 2 tablespoons head-to-toe every two hours—your 8-ounce bottle should last only two beach trips! When it comes to SPF, go high (50, 70, even 90) if you’ll be in direct sun for a few hours; snap on a bracelet that changes color when sunscreen is no longer potent.

So they say … smearing a plastic bracelet with sunscreen then wearing it in the hot sun will clue you in on when to re-apply sunscreen.
The wristband’s color changes when you need more sunscreen, which the American Academy of Dermatology recommends reapplying at least every two hours after the first application or more often if you are swimming or sweating.
The bracelet is orange when it is taken out of its package, then turns purple when it encounters sunlight. Sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher should be reapplied when the band turns brown.
Users should head indoors when the words “apply sunscreen to this side” are no longer visible

New rule from the FDA.
Sunscreen labels will carry a “broad spectrum” label to show they offer some protection against UVA radiation as well as UVB radiation,
“This is a very significant day for us. The FDA is announcing major changes in how sunscreens are regulated in the U.S.,” Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA center for drug evaluation, said at a news conference. “This will allow people to make better decisions and better protect themselves from sun-induced damage.”
Products currently labeled as “broad spectrum” may or may not protect against UVA. The new rule reserving the “broad spectrum” claim only for products that protect against UVA and UVB will not take effect until the summer of 2012.
The old “SPF” designation still will show how well a product protects against UVB rays. But products with the new “broad spectrum” label will have to pass a test showing that they protect against UVA, too. The higher the SPF level on these broad-spectrum sunscreens — up to SPF 50 — the better they protect against both UVA and UVB.
UVB radiation is responsible for sunburn and plays a major role in causing skin cancer. It affects only the outer layer of the skin. UVA, while less intense than UVB, is 30 to 50 times more prevalent than UVB and penetrates to deeper layers of the skin. UVA is the dominant tanning ray and is closely linked to skin aging. It also damages skin DNA and causes skin cancer.
The “broad spectrum” designation carries a lot less specific information about UVA protection than the zero-to-four-star system the FDA originally proposed in 2007. But the FDA finally decided only to insist that UVA protection must increase as the SPF value goes up.

New Information on Sunscreen Labels
Also new to sunscreen labels will be a clear message stating how long water-resistant sunscreens maintain protection after a person swims or sweats. Labels will specify either 40 or 80 minutes of protection. Those that aren’t water resistant will have to carry a warning to that effect.
Sunscreen labels now will be able to claim that a product protects against skin cancer if it has an SPF rating of 15 or higher. And the product can claim to protect against sun-related premature skin aging if it has the broad-spectrum designation.
However, products will not be allowed to claim they “block” the sun or that they prevent skin cancer or aging. They also can’t say they last for more than two hours, unless proof of longer protection is submitted to the FDA.
Like other over-the-counter drugs, sunscreens will now carry a “drug facts” box on the back or side of the container. Within the box will be any appropriate safety warnings. For example, sunscreens with an SPF under 15 will have to warn that they do not protect against skin cancer

UV sun strength warning wristband £2.99
Click here to purchase: http://www.colourchanging.co.uk/health-wellbeing/uv-sun-safety-awareness/uv-sun-strength-warning-identification-wrist-band/prod_15.html