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[music] Hello, I’m Dr. Neal Schultz and welcome
to DermTV.
[pause]
Patients ask me, “Do I really need sunscreen every day?” and the answer is,
“Yes.” There are two reasons. Think of your skin as having a meter on the
surface. Every time the sun hits it, its starts the meter and the meter
runs continuously. Your skin doesn’t know the difference between walking to
work for five minutes in each direction every day, five days a week, which
is ten minutes a day, 50 minutes a week. Your skin doesn’t know the
difference between those 50 minutes a week of unprotected sun protection
and being out on the beach for 50 minutes continuously on Saturday. That’s
the first reason. The second reason has to do with the fact that, if you
can see your hand in front of your face when you go outside, then there is
enough light coming through the clouds, even if it’s a cloudy day, to bring
some of the ultraviolet light with it, and that ultraviolet light is
hitting your skin. Certainly not the same way it does on a sunny day, but
you’re still getting that ultraviolet burning and damaging sun. So, for
both of those reasons, please use a sunscreen everyday and choose one that
has an SPF between 15 and 30.