Over 80% of sunscreen performed below their labelled efficacy (2020)

Best to wear a hat with a brim and a long sleeved shirt.

Agreed, I’ve picked up an UPF 50+ shirt that can be used for swimming as well, I’m much more comfortable on the beach now. Dries as fast as any swimwear.

Is mineral sunscreen a safer bet than regular sunscreen, since it physical blocks the sunrays?

I bought a uv a+b meter and unfortunately shade, while helping a lot, is still way above levels that cause sun damage. The sun jacket though is a very good idea. I use one myself.

Should we go swimming with a hat? :)

I'm white enough that 5 mins of near midday sun gives me sunburns. In summer spf >30 is a must. Even day to day some sunscreen on my face and neck is a must.

This is pretty widely held misconception. Today's chemical and mineral sunscreens both primarily operate through UV absorption rather than reflection: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250718-which-kind-of-su...

No. I saw a good video on this recently. Essentially there is no fundamental difference in efficacy between different active ingredients.

I started wearing a cheap sombrero while doing yard work in the summer. It's a game changer. Going to Mexico this winter and hoping to find some nice ones to bring home.

No.

Yes. I do! If I'm mucking around in the water at the beach I'm in long sleeve top, hat and sunglasses.

Maybe? But it's probably easier to wipe or sweat off. I'm also a huge fan of mechanical sun protection (hats, sun shirts, rash guards, etc etc)

no. there might be some mild advantages (less environmental damage? also protection from excessive IR+VIS?) But in the published testdata listed above there are mineral sunscreens promising 50 SPF and not getting there either. Combined with the often more difficult application you might end up with even less protection. So buyer beware (or wear hats and shirts).

This summer I started following the lead of my tour guides in Mexico and the local day laborers. Both favor spandex arm sleeves that are remarkably breathable and can be put on or removed as conditions change. They have been great for hiking and kayaking, though the maker warns that they aren't as effective if they get fully wet.

I opt for sunscreen on my head and legs. Coverage for the rest of my body. I also wear a hat when feasible.

Probably says a lot about where people live. The OP’s advice is a recipe for still getting skin cancer here (we get a max UV index at or over 11 every day for months where I live) - sunscreen is unavoidable to stay safe for a lot of the country because even little bits of incidental exposure add up. Whereas if you’re in the northern parts of US/Europe it’s probably OK.

> midday sun

In more equatorial regions I'd stay out of the sun from 9-3.

I live in North America and use full sleeve sun hoodies for hiking in the summer. I sweat a lot but these hoodies are breathable enough that it doesn't bother me. So I need to apply sun screen only on my palms and fingers. And paired with a wide brim hat, I can get away with applying sunscreen only to the lower part of my face and neck.

It's not "safer" from the sun, but could be safer from side effects of the chemicals used in typical sunscreen.

The FDA listed 12 typical sunscreen ingredients, such as avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone, as not currently having sufficient data to be recognized as safe and effective. They're absorbed into the bloodstream and studies have found them to persist for weeks.

Based on current data, the FDA categorized only two sunscreen ingredients as safe and effective, the mineral-based ones: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which don't permeate the skin much.

"Although the protective action of sunscreen products takes place on the surface of the skin, there is new evidence that at least some sunscreen active ingredients are absorbed through the skin and enter the body. This makes it important for FDA to determine whether, and to what extent, exposure to certain sunscreen ingredients may be associated with any safety risks. FDA has requested data from industry to confirm the safety of sunscreen active ingredients."[0]

[0] https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicin...

Much worse, if for no other reason than applying it and having it leave behind a white residue on your skin makes people much less likely to reapply once it rubs off.

I always pack my own sunscreen when traveling to islands that ban normal sunscreen. I feel bad if it actually damages the reefs, but reef safe sunscreen is terrible at protecting from the sun.

That's wading, not swimming

That's not okay. If reef safe sunscreen isn't sufficient for what you need, then you should find a different way to protect yourself than one that damages reefs.

It’s okay. I’m not actually spending time in the ocean. More of a “sit by the pool and explore the island” kind of guy!

Reef-safe sunscreen is bullshit anyway. The marketing is well out in front of the science. There's no real evidence it's harmful to reefs and there's no real evidence (or reason to believe) the other kinds of sunscreen aren't just as harmful to reefs. It's just marketing jibber jabber.

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/sunscreens/the-truth-...

The sunscreen x reef safety research isn't very good, and the marketing is well out in front of the science on this issue.

Today's sunscreens are complex cocktails of different molecules. The most advanced and efficient ones use both, inorganic and organic, chemicals, e.g.:

  Zinc oxide – for the broadest UV-A and UV-B absorption.

  Titanium dioxide – for UV-A absorption.

  Diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (DHHB) – for UV-A absorption.

  Octyl methoxycinnamate – for UV-B absorption.

  Octocrylene – for short-wave UV-A and UV-B absorption.

  Bemotrizinol – a broad-spectrum UV absorber, absorbing both UV-A and UV-B rays.

  Octyl triazone (ethylhexyl triazone) – for UV-B absorption.

The actual composition varies, but it is going to have a combination of multiple compounds due to them having different absorption peaks, e.g. bemotrizinol has two absorption peaks, 310 and 340 nm, and DHHB peaks out at 354 nm.. The compounds also have synergistic effects when blended with one another, so the sunscreen design is a science on its own.

How do you know that the shirt shirt is correct SPF?

Sun protective clothing is measured and given a UPF rating. SPF ratings are only for sunscreens.

Yep. I hate wearing suncream. Hate the feeling of it and the smell. I often spend all day in the sun on long walks so I do as you say: cover up. I've recently got a peaked cap with a neck guard to try as well.

If you're a man especially you might as well just start wearing a hat because the thick hair probably won't last forever!

One tip I got from South Africa is when you find shade take your hat off as you cool down a lot through your head.

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun...

It's still so true today. In England we savour the sun. In hot places they are wary of it.

I thought it was only sunburn that was dangerous rather than incidental exposure. This has been the advice for years now, has it changed?

"it's only sunburn that's dangerous" stopped being the advice years ago, probably because people (younger dumb me included) were like "I only get sunburn once a year and after that I don't need sunscreen!"

Bonus: they don't expire

Applying sunscreen to your palms? And if your still applying it to "the lower part of my face and neck" what's the savings from doing the upper at the same time (plus this will get your palms & fingers too, if that's your jam)?

Skin damage from UV is cumulative. How careful you have to be depends on your skin type but the general advice is that sun protection should be worn when the UV index is over 3, or if you're spending any extended time in the sun.