Depending on price, I am excited. SPF 16 is enough for me. I assume Zinc Oxide is the "active ingredient"?
SPF 16 isn't strong enough for being out in the sun all day. It should be fine for being in the sun for a few minutes here and there throughout the day and driving, but definitely not if you're going to the pool, the beach, or being outdoors for any more than 30 minutes at a time.
After all this time it has taken, I'm disappointed he'd come out with such a mild SPF formula. SPF 30 would strongly be advised for any extended sun exposure.
Burning in 30 minutes with an SPF 16 on is unlikely. It assumes that your bare skin burns in only two minutes in the sun. It's really hard to find reliable data on "average burn times," but multiple sources have suggested 20 minutes as a conservative estimate . That figure multiplies out to over five hours in the sun when wearing Dan's new SPF 16. (20 min x SPF16 = 5.33 hrs) Assuming sensitive skin, Benzoyl Peroxide, and AHA, that time starts to diminish, but 30 minutes is a little low. I'd say you're probably good for a couple hours at the very least.
If you're out for longer than that, I do not think a higher SPF is necessarily the answer. The whole rating system is kind of shoddy. I believe the company itself assigns the number, as opposed to an independent rating agency. It does not factor in how much sunscreen is applied, or how often it is reapplied. These things are far more important than the SPF number. Australia does not allow sunscreen manufacturers to claim an SPF rating of higher than 30, because it does not believe that the rating system (or perhaps sunscreen in general) is capable of accounting for extremely long exposures. To me, this indicates that the SPF is not a huge factor in the quality of a sunscreen.
In my opinion, SPF 16 will definitely hold you for a couple of hours in the sun, even assuming you're using topicals. Exposures longer than that during the 10AM-4PM timeframe are not daily occurrences for everybody. It is a better idea to regulate one's exposure using clothing, hats, shade, etc., than to simply look for a higher SPF. Someone using any acne related topicals (such as Benzoyl Peroxide, AHA, peels, etc.) being that they are at an increased risk of sun damage, should strive to stay out of the sun for periods longer than a few hours, regardless of the SPF they are wearing.
The role of a sunscreen for someone using topicals is to protect them for the time that they cannot be indoors, not to allow them to sunbathe.
Edit: this site is a useful read regarding SPF.
Edited by Luminareo, 15 March 2013 - 03:02 PM.
Home
