She always keeps her eye on the numbers, tries a few every season to find some that she likes, a sport formula that stays out of her eyes for tennis or volleyball, a greaseless one for under her makeup and so on. But after a bit of digging she found that being a bit more sunscreen savvy could help her to choose the right protection every time.

Physical blockers are just that, they form a coating on the skin that either reflects or scatters the sun's rays, and prevents them from getting through. These blockers like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide stop both UVA and UVB rays, which is great because they afford broad spectrum protection with little risk of skin irritation. That's why they're so often recommended for people with sensitive skin.

Chemical sunscreens are often combined together, or sometimes with one of the physical blockers, to make sure that both UVA and UVB rays are being stopped. When the sun's rays hit Girlawhirl's skin and she's wearing a chemical sunscreen, the UV radiation is actually absorbed by the sunscreen before it gets to her skin. It's unusual for a chemical sunscreen to block UVA rays, but there are a few like Avobenzone (which is sometimes called Parsol-1789) and Oxybenzone that do. The newest chemical to be approved by the FDA to combat even the shortest UVA rays is Mexoryl, which has been used in Europe for many years.

So now that Girlawhirl has a better understanding of how a sunscreen works, she still needs to make sure that it's working for her. And that means reapplication throughout the day, especially after swimming or a sweaty game of softball, and realizing that both her hair and her face will thank her if she keeps her hat on.

related article:

Aug 1, 2006:

Girlawhirl and the Super Pals cheer as the FDA finally approves Mexoryl sunscreen. read full entry

Jun 13, 2006:	Summer Sun Tip: Bullfrog sunblock keeps the bugs away. read full entry
May 01, 2006:	Melanoma Cancer. read full entry
Apr 28, 2006:	Spray on Sunblock. read full entry
Sep 16, 2005:	Plan B. read full entry