Spa Girl says TWO thumbs up for the New Rules for Sunscreen

In my world a day at the beach ranks the number one thing to do on those hot lazy summer days! Remember...What's a Sun Goddess to do?

Just in time for summer, if it ever comes to our part of the world, the Food and Drug Administration (Canada is soon to follow) has determined new rules for sunscreen protection.  Familiar promotional terms like sun block, waterproof, sweat proof will no long be allowed under the much tougher new standards.

Three decades in the making, the big change under this new legislation will require broad-spectrum sunscreens to protect from the sun's radiation with both UVB (causes the skin to burn) and UVA (causes the skin to wrinkle) and both can cause cancer.

While the new rules won't go into effect until a year from now, we know from this new legislation to look for both UVB and UVA with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher.  The rules will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming their products are waterproof or sweat proof because such claims are simply not true.

Can't you just hear the dermatologists applauding!

Sunscreen products represent a $680 million domestic market which continues to grow as the boomers age and with alarming increases in the number of skin-related cancer. More than two million people in the United States alone are treated each year for the two most common types of skin cancer, basal cell and squamous cell, and more than 68,000 receive a diagnosis of melanoma, the most deadly form of the disease.

I have posted a number of blogs on the importance of sunscreen, the number one ingredient to health, happy skin.  This new legislation is a welcome addition especially as rows and rows of sunscreen products make the selection more and more difficult. 

Last week I received three fabulous "I Will Reflect" bracelets (only $4.95) from SpaFinder  in support of my dear friend Nelson.  These wonderful bracelets have been designed to help raise awareness about early melanoma detection and prevention. Support the cause and order yours today!  http://www.spafinder.com/Catalog/product_page.jsp?pId=275

Check out these sites for more information on the new FDA regulations:

http://www.fdalawblog.com/2011/06/articles/legislation/sunscreen-in-the-spotlight-fda-illuminates-new-sunscreen-regulations/

http://www.fdalawblog.net/fda_law_blog_hyman_phelps/2011/06/sunscreens-moment-to-shine-fda-announces-a-flurry-of-new-requirements-for-otc-sunscreen-drug-product.html