For most people, using a sunscreen with an SPF above 30 won’t give them much added protection, says Martin Weinstock, MD, a professor of dermatology at Brown Medical School, in Providence.
“It’s sort of diminishing returns as you get to the higher SPF numbers,” says Dr. Weinstock, who chairs the American Cancer Society’s skin cancer advisory committee. “For some people with particular problems very high SPF numbers may be important, but for most people SPF 30 is pretty good.”
In its report the EWG also noted that people may be risking vitamin D deficiency by using too much sunscreen. “We basically just laid out the different arguments, because it is so controversial,” Leiba explains.
Vitamin D is “a super controversial area,” Dr. Spencer agrees. But, he adds, most people can get all the vitamin D they need by eating a healthy diet and taking supplements. (Vitamin D is added to foods such as milk.) “If you didn’t eat and you never took your vitamin pills, then sun avoidance would be a problem,” he says.
The medical community is itself divided on whether sunlight should be used as a source of vitamin D. While the American Academy of Dermatology advises against unprotected exposure to UV light as a vitamin D source, the American Medical Association recommends that people get a few minutes of unprotected sunlight daily.
Staying safe in the sun isn’t complicated. Both the EWG and dermatologists agree that you should use plenty of sunscreen (SPF 15 to 30 is best), reapply it often, and cover up with hats and protective clothing too.
“We’re not telling people to stay in a cave,” says Dr. Spencer. “We’re just using common protective measures so you can go out and enjoy life.”
