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The Right Sunscreen

If you are heading to Florida for vacation, chances are the first thing you are going to do is check into your hotel room and head to the beach. Who can blame you? Warm golden sand, rhythmic waves, the sunlight cascading down on your bright-colored ray bans,there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with the beach. We will get to the tanning and sandcastle building soon. First we have to make sure we are properly protected from the sun. Just like wearing a helmet while riding a bike or having an escape plan when fighting breaks out during Monopoly, going to the beach without the right sunscreen could leave you bright red. When you head to the store to grab a bottle you may find there are different brands and strengths. How do you know which of these is right for you?

Sunscreen-On-Face

First you have to know what the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) rating is. SPF rating tells how effective the sunscreen is at blocking the sun’s UVB rays. UVB rays are what cause sunburns, and potentially skin cancer in large amounts. The basic SPF rating is 15 SPF. For the average person 15 SPF will do just fine. If you find that you are more susceptible to sunburn, or have a skin condition that causes you to be sensitive to light, it could be beneficial to move to at least 30 SPF.

You may also want to see rather or not a sunscreen protects against UVA rays. These are also known to cause skin cancer if you spend prolonged time in them without protection. Many bottles will not openly say rather or not they will protect against UVA rays, so it is better to search for sunscreen that has any of these active ingredients.

  • Avobenzone
  • Oxybenzone
  • Titanium dioxide
  • Sulisobenzone
  • Zinc Oxide
  • Ecamsule

Any sunscreen with at least one of these ingredients will help protect against UVA rays. This way you get the whole package while you lay on your back soaking in the rays.

One last thing to look for are added perks, such as being sweat or water-resistant. If you plan on spending time in the water, or working up a sweat playing volleyball, make sure your sunscreen can handle it. You don’t want to spend half your vacation afraid to move because of a bad sunburn. It’s also not too wonderful when it comes to vacation photos. Luckily the Ocean Walk Daytona vacation spot is just down the road from plenty of stores that sell sun screen. It may take a few more minutes before you can dive fully into your ocean side activities, but a few minutes is better than a few days resembling a man-sized lobster.