Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Best Sunscreen Strength to use?

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- United States (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/)

- - Best Sunscreen Strength to use? (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/best-sunscreen-strength-to-use-241586/)

Al,when YOU know what you are talking about, we will post our degrees.

I am fair and burn easily and use SPF 30. And I stay in the shade. I also carry a small, collapsable umbrella in my tote bag in case I need shade. I don't get tanned, so, take that into account when you read my advice. Aloha

Hi Lee: I am very fair skinned. I swear by Hawaiian Tropic SPF 45+. It smells great, moisturizes, and I have not gotten a sunburn in years. Re apply often to keep the SPF working. To let you know how well it works.... In Early June (very hot and sunny here in NYC) I was working an outdoor event. I was out all day from 6AM until 5PM. I wore a baseball hat and a short sleeved shirt and shorts. Used this product and was not sunburned at all. Was encouraging people to use it too! Hope this helps and have a great trip!

If you would stop bickering and pay attention you'd know the naswers to your questions. How much better is 30 than 15? 30 allows 3.3% of sun's rays through, while 15 allows 6.6% through. Is 30 twice as good as 15? In the relative sense yes. In an absolute sense, it's only 3.3% better.

I cannot believe that this innocent question caused such an uproar!!! Let me put in my 2 cents: I am very fair skinned and burn easily (unfortunately I experienced quite a few blistering burns before I even heard of sunblock). We visited Costa Rica twice in the last two years and I used 30 SPF which was just fine and provided adequate protection. I suspect the sun in Costa Rica is even more intense than in Hawaii because it is closer to the equator. Of course in Costa Rica I also tried to stay out of the sun as much as I could - at the beach I always tried to find a shady patch under a tree, same at the pool. I looked for hotels that had some shady areas near the pool. Doesn't mean I wouldn't leave my hotel room all day. I just avoided sitting out in the sun if I could sit in the shade.

Alohaaa, All I know is that 2 days after returning from my last trip to Kauai this past Jan., I had a big chunk o' flesh taken out so I don't care how much it costs or if it is a waste, I'm buying no less than #30 and using a trough and paint roller to apply it at least once every 2 hours. Being "Frankenchest" wasn't much fun! :-( Mucho mahalos, Kal

This thread reiterates my theory that people will believe anything they read...Some of the advice given here is way off.. I recently had a visitor from the American Cancer Society to my office and he told us that anything higher than 30 is not any more effective than 30..it is just a way for the manufacturer to charge more money for virtually the same thing..Also SPF means how many more times you can stay in the sun without burning your skin..SPF 30 means 30 times longer than without it. Where these percentages are coming from I don't know..I will say this though ..does not really matter the color of your skin (though fair skinned, light eyes and hair are more vulnerable..) melanoma can strike anyone..I recently had a cousin who was a very dark skinned Italian who developed melanoma .. due to the location of her melanoma she never saw it and died within 6 months of her diagnosis. Personally I am a very light skinned man who never uses anything but 30 everywhere..everytime and I never burn...

ok I guess this thread has come to an end Kris had a visitor in her office.

Kris, you need some help with reading skills and mathematics. "Where do all these percentages come from"? Well if SPF allows you to stay out in the sun 5 times longer than with no sunscreen, it's because only one fifth of the sun's rays are getting through. One divided by 5 equals 20% One divided by 15 equals 6.6666% Get it? They mean the same thing. And your comment that anything above SPF 30 is no better than 30 is wrong. Why? This has been clearly stated multiple times above. SPF 30 allows 3.3% of rays through, SPF 50 allows 2%. So is 50 better? Yes. Not by much, but your statement that it makes no difference is flat wrong. **********Another dangerous misstatement you've made is that skin color doesn't matter when it comes to melanoma. WRONG!! Please don't spread this rumor around! Here is a quote from the Memorial Sloan Kettering's cancer site: "People with light complexions -- particularly those who have had excessive exposure to sunlight -- are at higher-than-average risk for melanoma. People with dark skin, however, are not immune." Less melanin means less protection. African Americans get FAR fewer melanomas than Caucasians. Can we let this rest at last??