Fact: Did you know?

·Age spots and sun spots are the same and are caused by direct exposure to sunlight.
·The SPF of a sunscreen indicates the time period you can stay in the sun without burning based on your skin sensitivity.
·You should apply sunscreen at least 1 hour prior to going out in the sun.
·Use SPF factors higher than what you usually use for added protection.
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Sun Safety: Be Sun Safe and Sun Sensible. 
Whenever patients ask me whether a brown mark on their skin is a sun spot or an age spot, I tell them that the answer can be found on their gluteus maximus. After they look at me like I’m crazy, I quickly explain that this is usually the only place on our body where neither sun spots nor age spots are found because it is often covered and shielded from ultraviolet rays. Which leads to the answer: age spots and sun spots are the same thing caused by direct exposure to sunlight.

Given today’s increasing occurrence of and concern about sun damage and its most extreme form - skin cancer – it’s important that you protect yourself.
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The Facts:  What does SPF mean exactly?
SPF, or sun protection factor, is a term used to determine how your skin reacts to the sun when unprotected. For example, if it took your skin 10 minutes to get red unprotected, but 20 minutes using a sun block, that would indicate the product had an SPF of 2. The more sensitive your skin (i.e. the quicker you burn) and the more time you plan to stay in the sun, the higher the SPF should be.

Use this rule of thumb: an SPF of 15 absorbs approximately 80% of UV rays, an SPF of 20 absorbs about 86%, an SPF of 30 absorbs about 90-92% of harmful sun rays. The less sun block you apply, the less protection you get. Most SPF products are tested and given their value based on a heavier application than most people would use. My advice is to go higher – if you usually use an SPF 25, move up to a 30.

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Solution: Apply sun block before you go in the sun.
The outer layer of skin cells, known as the stratum corneum, contains keratin protein. Sun block agents work best when they bind to this keratin protein. But this takes time, so I recommend you apply sunscreen at least 1 hour before sun exposure.
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Reapply every  two hours:
Sun block works like a sponge to soak up UV rays, but sponges eventually get saturated and stop absorbing. This is true for chemical sun block agents as well. If you are continuously out in the sun, the UV sponges get used up after a few hours. You have to reapply sun block at least every two hours.nts with higher protein content that can repair damage to  the keratin protein in the hair shaft caused by hair color treatments. Deep conditioning treatments can require additional contact time to the hair and these salon treatments can be enhanced by the addition of heat treatments.
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Protect your hair and scalp:

Excessive sun exposure for your hair and scalp can result in scalp conditions and thinning hair, and can accelerate hair loss. I recommend you wear a hat while in the sun, and use a hair spray or styling product with UV protection.