FDA Sunscreen Quiz

How often should you reapply sunscreen when you’re outside?

• • At least every hour

• • At least every 2 hours

• • At least every 4 hours

• • Don’t need to reapply

• • Only need to reapply after sweating or swimming

A recent FDA study showed that some sunscreen ingredients are absorbed into the body. This means:

• • I should continue to use sunscreen as directed. Evidence of absorption doesn’t mean these ingredients are unsafe – it just means that more data is needed.

• • I should stop using sunscreen

• • I should make my own sunscreen

• • I should only use sunscreen conservatively, for example, only in limited amounts on a sunny day

Answer explanation

Also use other methods to protect yourself – wear sunglasses, limit the time you spend in the sun (especially when the sun’s UV rays are strongest, usually between 10 am-2 pm), wear protective clothing and hats, and find shade. Sunscreen that is both Broad Spectrum and SPF 15 or above has been proven to reduce your chance of getting a sunburn, early skin aging, and skin cancer. FDA has asked industry for additional safety information on some sunscreen ingredients because scientific knowledge has evolved, and we use sunscreen more often than we did years ago.

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NGSS.HS-PS1-2

Which of these statements is true regarding sun safety for infants?

• • Adults are at greater risk than infants of sunscreen side effects, such as a rash

• • Infants can be exposed to the sun for a limited amount of time without increased risk

• • Sunscreens are not recommended for infants under six months of age

• • Protective clothing does not have much effect and sunscreen is a much better UV protection method

Answer explanation

The FDA recommends that infants be kept out of the sun during the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and to use protective clothing for them if they have to be in the sun. Dress infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn. Infants are at greater risk than adults of sunscreen side effects, such as a rash. The best protection for infants is to keep them out of the sun entirely. Ask a doctor before applying sunscreen to children under six months of age.

The FDA recommends that you do not use sunscreen products that have passed their expiration date. If there is no expiration date indicated, what should you do?

• • Not use it

• • Report it to the FDA

• • Assume it is stable to use if it was purchased within the last three years and has been stored in a cool, dry place

• • Assume it is stable to use indefinitely

Answer explanation

FDA regulations require all sunscreens and other nonprescription drugs to have an expiration date unless stability testing conducted by the manufacturer has shown that the product will remain stable for at least three years. That means a sunscreen product that doesn’t have an expiration date should be considered expired three years after purchase. To make sure that your sunscreen is providing the sun protection promised in its labeling, the FDA recommends that you do not use sunscreen products that have passed their expiration date (if there is one). If there is no expiration date, only use sunscreen that was purchased in the past 3 years. Discard expired sunscreens because there is no assurance that they remain safe and fully effective.

All of these are ways to reduce risk of sun damage to your body EXCEPT:

• • Limiting your time in the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are most intense

• • Wearing clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun—such as long-sleeve shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brim hats

• • Using broad spectrum sunscreens with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) value of 15 or higher regularly and as directed

• • Getting a base tan by using tanning beds or laying out in the sun.

Answer explanation

Any color change is a sign of skin damage in any skin type.

True or false: All sunscreens protect against sunburn, but only those that are SPF 15 or above and are Broad Spectrum have also been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

All sunscreens protect against the sun’s rays that cause sunburn, but only those that are SPF 15 or above and also Broad Spectrum have been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun (when used as directed with other sun protection measures).

True or False: If you sweat or go swimming, you need to reapply sunscreen more often than every 2 hours even if the sunscreen is water resistant.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Sunscreens meeting certain criteria may be labeled as water resistant for 40 minutes or 80 minutes, which means that you need to follow the instructions in the product label to reapply more frequently than every 2 hours if you are sweating or exposed to the water. In addition, you should reapply sunscreen after towel drying because toweling off may wipe the sunscreen from the body

When do the FDA and CDC recommend wearing sunscreen?

• • While swimming at the beach on a sunny day

• • While playing outside on a cloudy day

• • While skiing in the winter

• • All of the above

Answer explanation

In general, the FDA and CDC recommend that you use Broad Spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, even on cloudy days. Snow sports pose particular risks of UV exposure because they are often performed at higher altitude and sunlight is reflected from the snow.

True or False: Getting a tan, whether you have lighter or darker skin, is healthy.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Any color change is a sign of skin damage in any skin type. Sun damage to the body is caused by invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Sunburn is a type of skin damage caused by the sun. Tanning is also a sign of the skin reacting to potentially damaging UV radiation by producing additional pigmentation that provides it with some—but often not enough—protection against sunburn.

A sunscreen label of SPF (Sun Protection Factor) 15 means:

• • You can stay out in the sun 15 times longer than you normally can without getting burned.

• • The sunscreen lets twice as much solar radiation through as a sunscreen labeled SPF 30.

• • It takes 15 times more solar energy to produce a sunburn compared to unprotected skin.

• • The SPF value tells consumers how much broad spectrum protection the sunscreen provides.

• • You can stay out in the sun for 15 hours without being burned.

Answer explanation

SPF is a measure of how much solar energy (UV radiation) is required to produce sunburn on protected skin (i.e., skin that sunscreen has been applied to) relative to the amount of solar energy required to produce sunburn on unprotected skin. As SPF value increases, sunburn protection increases. It is important to remember that there are factors other than the amount of time you spend in the sun that impact the level of SPF you need. For example, the intensity of the sun and the geographic location you are in impact the amount of solar energy you are exposed to. Also, when you reapply sunscreen, you are not resetting the clock: any sun damage that your skin has undergone remains. However, frequent reapplication of sunscreens is associated with decreased absorption of solar (i.e., UV) radiation.