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Why does Australia only have spf 30 sunscreen (2 Viewers)

ilikebeeef

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because that sounds stupid. why is MORE PROTECTION BAD ok
I know. But check this out.

From [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen"][URL="http://www.lavera.com/education/additional-information/facts-about-spf"]http://www.lavera.com/education/additional-information/facts-about-spf[/URL][/URL]:

"In a nutshell, FDA rated sunscreens may bear a higher rating than the equivalent European rated sunscreens. In addition, it suggests that high SPF rated sunscreens may have very poor UVA protection. Current FDA test criteria is detailed here.
How big is this difference between the US and European SPF? According to Wikipedia, "American SPF numbers are double the SPF numbers on European products.[citation needed] An American SPF 20 sunscreen is the same as SPF 10 in Europe. It is not always clear on the packaging which system is being used." However, as stated in the article, a source for this claim is needed, and we have not seen any definitive study on this particular issue.

Vitamin D defiency and SPF

Of note in the wikipedia article is the reference to findings that Sunscreens do hamper Vitamin D production in the body. "The use of sunscreen also interferes with vitamin D production, leading to deficiency in Australia after a government campaign to increase sunscreen use. Doctors recommend spending small amounts of time in the sun without sun protection to ensure adequate production of vitamin D. When the UV index is greater than 3 (which occurs daily within the tropics and daily during the spring and summer seasons in temperate regions) adequate amounts of vitamin D3 can be made in the skin after only ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. With longer exposure to UVB rays, an equilibrium is achieved in the skin, and the vitamin simply degrades as fast as it is generated.". In fact, a recent study claims that at least 75% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient."
 

x.christina

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I know. But check this out.

From [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen"][URL]http://www.lavera.com/education/additional-information/facts-about-spf[/URL][/URL]:

"In a nutshell, FDA rated sunscreens may bear a higher rating than the equivalent European rated sunscreens. In addition, it suggests that high SPF rated sunscreens may have very poor UVA protection. Current FDA test criteria is detailed here.
How big is this difference between the US and European SPF? According to Wikipedia, "American SPF numbers are double the SPF numbers on European products.[citation needed] An American SPF 20 sunscreen is the same as SPF 10 in Europe. It is not always clear on the packaging which system is being used." However, as stated in the article, a source for this claim is needed, and we have not seen any definitive study on this particular issue.

Vitamin D defiency and SPF

Of note in the wikipedia article is the reference to findings that Sunscreens do hamper Vitamin D production in the body. "The use of sunscreen also interferes with vitamin D production, leading to deficiency in Australia after a government campaign to increase sunscreen use. Doctors recommend spending small amounts of time in the sun without sun protection to ensure adequate production of vitamin D. When the UV index is greater than 3 (which occurs daily within the tropics and daily during the spring and summer seasons in temperate regions) adequate amounts of vitamin D3 can be made in the skin after only ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. With longer exposure to UVB rays, an equilibrium is achieved in the skin, and the vitamin simply degrades as fast as it is generated.". In fact, a recent study claims that at least 75% of Americans are Vitamin D deficient."
:eek: thanks for going to the effort but tl;dr
but tell me in a nutshell
 

ilikebeeef

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:eek: thanks for going to the effort but tl;dr
but tell me in a nutshell
K I'll cut down on the quotes lol.

Why American products have such high SPFs:

"American SPF numbers are double the SPF numbers on European products... An American SPF 20 sunscreen is the same as SPF 10 in Europe. It is not always clear on the packaging which system is being used."

Why too high SPF isn't that great:

"The use of sunscreen also interferes with vitamin D production, leading to deficiency in Australia after a government campaign to increase sunscreen use."
 

yeah_boy

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Apparently jumping from SPF 30 to even 100 is less than one percent more effective.. Still the slightest bit more effective, but not really. I read that consumers will buy 100 thinking its some sort of sun armour, feeling the need to not to reapply often or at all which consequently, ends up in more skin damage. Even jumping from SPF 15 to 30 is only a tiny difference. The difference is still good, and personally I'm all for SPF 100 sunscreen but people just need to educate themselves and read labels. The products will have to have some advertising that will not promote the product as some sort of sun saviour.
 

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