Avoid the burn, save your skin

ORLANDO, Fla. – While there’s some summer left, so don’t forget to pack your sunscreen when heading out to enjoy the sun.

More than one out of every three Americans get sunburned each year and having five or more sunburns doubles your risk of melanoma, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Your best defense? Lather up with sunscreen. But how do you know if you’re choosing the right one?

Dermatologists recommend choosing a sunscreen with at least an SPF 30. But according to the FDA, choosing a 100 plus SPF isn’t more protective than a sunscreen rated at 60 plus SPF.

Also, some sunscreens only protect against UVB rays, but not against UVA rays which penetrate the skin more deeply. Look for sunscreens labeled broad spectrum which protects against both.

The environment working group analyzed 500 sunscreens and found 75% did not provide adequate sun protection or included harmful ingredients such as oxybenzone and homosalate, which can cause hormone changes.

You can find a list of 200 sunscreens that got a thumbs up at ewg.org/sunscreens. But you don’t have to buy new sunscreen every summer. The FDA requires all sunscreens to retain their original strength for at least three years.

RELATED: Consumer Reports’ best sunscreens for 2021

If you have tattoos, will they protect your skin from the sun? The answer is no. They don’t offer any protection against the sun’s rays and can actually be damaged by UV rays.

In particular, yellow and red inks contain a chemical called cadmium sulfide, which can cause skin rashes or scaley, flaky skin when it bakes in the sun.