Short Answer: My recommendation is that anyone planning on being outside for an extended period should reapply their sunscreen AT LEAST every 2 hours no matter what the SPF (or more often depending on skin type). The FDA is in agreement and now they state that no sunscreen can boast coverage for longer than 2 hours without substantial proof.

Long Answer: If you are a skin type 1 or 2 and you don’t plan on reapplying your sunscreen every 15 minutes (just an example) you may want to consider a sunscreen with a real high SPF. When I go to the beach I always use something with a 50+ SPF rating. If you are a little more olive skin and don’t burn so easy you could get away with a 30 perhaps. The other thing to think about is that we don’t have a number indicating protection from UVA light which is also very damaging to the skin. Right now the best we have is a general indication on the bottle that will say “broad spectrum” or UVA and UVB protection. Always make sure your sunscreen has this indicator. Actually the FDA has made the sunscreen companies go just a little further with their labeling. Now if a sunscreen is SPF 30, for example, and wants to be called “broad spectrum”, companies have to have proof that the UVA protection is also comparable in some way and not much less. It’s a tough concept to explain but it means the “broad spectrum” will actually mean something. Some of the newer sprays make it much easier to reapply frequently throughout the day, and they are just as good as the creams if used thoroughly and appropriately.

Question: What’s the difference between waterproof, water resistant, sweat resistant, ultra sweat resistant, etc.?

Answer: This has been confusing in the past but it should be getting clearer in the future. These terms refer to the time of sustained water contact or sweat contact a sunscreen can have before it loses its ability to protect you. You will start to see a number on sunscreens in addition to the terms. For example, 40 minutes (used to be waterproof) and 80 minutes (used to be water resistant) will appear on the labels as well. It’s another good one to pay attention too. I always try to purchase those rated for the 80 minutes personally.

Extra Tips: Golfers and gardeners here is the best way to do it: After your morning shower apply a good sunscreen cream all over like a body lotion and let it dry. Then keep a can of spray on hand and every 2 hours hit your whole body. It’s ok for the face if you’re not real sensitive but keep your eyes closed.

Finally, I usually don’t go into brands because there are a lot of real good companies making sunscreen and some of the generics are actually pretty good as well; however, Neutrogena has a new, very innovative product called “wet skin” (by the way, I have no stock in Neutrogena). It can be applied to a wet individual with the same effectiveness as a dry person. This is great if it’s time to reapply and you’re sweating a lot, or if you need to reapply on some wet kids running around the pool. My only caution is I have seen some rashes directly related to use of this product, albeit rare, so be careful to watch for this in the little ones.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the summer and keep your skin safe.

Brett Kockentiet MD 
Affiliated dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Center of Dublin Ohio

Answer: Yes, with exceptions of course. Although there are concerns that DEET can cause seizures in kids, there is no evidence to back this statement up. According to the Am. Academy of Pediatrics it should never be used in children 2 months or less and I would extend this to say that no one under 6 months. For other children use concentrations in the range of 10-30%, wash it off before they go to bed and avoid direct spray to the face. It is also safe for pregnancy (in second and third trimesters) and with breast feeding.

Problems with DEET sunscreens are that it damages certain man made materials such as rayon, spandex and some leather. It can even dissolve plastic and vinyl (I have seen this first hand on a pair of sunglasses) so avoid contact with these materials. This is where Picardin is great because it does none of the above.

Question: Are insect repellents the only thing out there?

Answer: No. As you may already know the insects are horrible in this area because of all of the rain. My real outdoors people (campers, hikers, etc.) can get a chemical spray for your clothing, shoes, tents, and other camping gear that contains permethrin. You can even find it already in some select lines of clothing. It’s a very effective adjunct to insect repellents and not only against mosquitos but ticks as well.

Question: Are the combination sunscreen/insect repellents a good choice?

Answer: No. Although I have noticed the mosquitos are out in full force during even the mid day hours there is a problem with these. Most insect repellents reduce the effectiveness of sunscreens. This could lead to inadvertent burns which nobody wants. Sunscreens are not a once and done thing if you’re going to be out all day. They need reapplication. Insect repellents don’t however require as much reapplication and therefore you may end up using too much or neglecting your sunscreen to avoid over use of the insect repellent. There are some other concerns regarding toxicity of DEET in conjunction with a sunscreen so I just don’t recommend this at all.

Hope this answers some of your questions and perhaps defeats a few of the common myths about insect repellents. Stay safe and itch free.

Brett Kockentiet MD
Affiliated dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Center of Dublin Ohio