Sunscreen tips

Ever wondered what sunscreen ratings really mean?
Ontario doctors have a few tips on how to figure them out.

The sun protection factor, better known as SPF, gives a general indication of how long you can expect to be out in the sun, before being burned.

Very high SPF ratings like 80, 90 or 100 are only a bit more protective.

Doctors also say the amount of sun protection is “non-linear” — meaning an SPF of 60 doesn’t actually give you double the protection of an SPF of 30.

An SPF of 15 means 93% protection.

An SPF of 30 offers 96.7% protection; and an SPF of 60 offers 97.7% protection.

Doctors recommend using at least an SPF 30 and say it’s important to re-apply sunscreen every two hours.