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better
HEALTH
‘F in dou t R ow to g e t a FREE* B O X a t
w w w .face6oofi.com /n a6iscolO O caC
You don’t
need to wear
sunscreen
if you have
dark skin.
I read
somewhere
that sunscreen
can expire.
I don’t need
sunblock
when it’s
cloudy.
Oral
sunblocks
can protect
you from
sun damage.
}
}
}
}
Tanning
booths aren’t
all that bad.
Myths about the sun
abound. See how your
sun sm arts stack up.
F A L S E :
“Any skin color can get skin cancer,” says
Heather Woolery-Lloyd, a dermatologist in Miami.
“Also, the number one complaint in patients with
skin of color is uneven skin tone and hyperpigmen-
tation. Sunlight makes hyperpigmentation worse,
and you can never address these issues if a person
doesn’t wear sunscreen.”
T R U E :
The active ingredients in sunscreens
can lose their potency, so check the expira-
tion date on the bottle. “To be safe, toss them
after a year,” says Dr. Bank.
F A L S E :
You need to wear sunscreen every day,
full stop. Remember: It’s a beautiful day above
the clouds, which offer little UV protection. So
never skip the sunblock—ever.
T R U E :
So-called “internal sunscreens” can be used
as additional sun protection. These supplements—
one is called SunPill—contain potent antioxidants
like green tea extract and the fern polypodium
leucotomos, which help skin resist sun damage.
They’re great insurance but should be used in
conjunction with sunscreen—not as a replacement.
“These pills prevent damage to skin cells after
sunlight hits the skin,” says Dr. Verallo-Rowell.
“Unlike sunblock, where you prevent the sun from
producing chemical changes, antioxidants act later
to quench the fire that has already started.”
F A L S E :
A tan is a signal that cells have been
damaged, says Fairbrother. When you use a tanning
booth, you’re getting deeper radiation than you’d
get from the sun. “Tanning booths also give people a
false sense of security,” she says. “A tan only gives
you an SPF protection of two to four compared to
sunblock, which gives you SPF of 30 or more.” 1®
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JUNE 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: (FLOWER) VEER
