Teen Skin Protection

Oh my Gosh, I love this shoe. No I like this shoe better.

There's nothing more fun than window shopping with friends….

I like this blue dress.

The food is great, but then we remembered-- we forgot to put on sunscreen today! Really, what happens if we don't use sunscreen? Let's see what the experts say. Is tanning safe?

The honest answer to that is no, but it's impractical, because in this society most people are very active, what we try to do is emphasize the use of sunscreens daily as a protective means so you can do normal activities.

How do you choose a good sunscreen that won't irritate your skin?

Some of the zinc based more sun blocking agents will be less irritating than others. Women and young ladies tend to use a moisturizing type of sunscreen especially on the face because it's practical after you wash in the morning to put on a daily moisturizing sunscreen.

If you put on a foundation, do you still have to put on sunscreen?

Well, it depends on whether it has a sunscreen in it or not. Anything less than a 15, I would say definitely you need a sunscreen underneath.

What's the difference between a sunscreen that say 35 and 15?

Most dermatologists will say that a 15 and above is usually adequate enough for most skin types. It basically gets between 93 and 94% of the sun's removed. If you go to maybe a 30, which sounds like it's twice as good, it may only remove 95 or 96% of the sun, it's just a few percentage better. The problem is that in most sunscreens with numbers as they get higher they don't necessarily feel as quite as good, a little sticky, a little tacky, and so we don't get the compliance. I'd would much rather have a product that you like and are willing to wear daily than one that feels funny even though it has a higher number.

Are self tanners ok?

They're great! Highly recommend it. All it is a dye that dyes the outer dead layer skin. It's perfectly safe and slough off if you don't like it. The one thing that you need to know about it is that it is not photo protective. You can't put that on and expect it to protect you like a tan.

It's hard to admit, but maybe our moms were right. This is cute!

Hope they like the shoes we found! For WebMD, we're Krysta, Katie, Jasmine and Margaret.