How high Should you Go?

If SPF 70 doesn’t give you significantly better protection (as seen from the chart above), why do many dermatologists recommend using higher SPF numbers then necessary? After all, we know that an SPF 70 can give about 700 minutes of protection (assuming you aren’t swimming or sweating) and that even in Alaska during the summer solstice you are not go­ing to get that much exposure to the sun. The answer has to do with application. Because most consumers don’t apply sunscreen liberally, they aren’t getting optimal protection, or even half of what the label indicates. A higher SPF number means there have to be more sun-protecting ingredients in the product so that even if you don’t apply it liberally you would be depositing more sunscreen ingredients on the skin. It is a logical approach with a caveat: More sunscreen ingredients can prove to be more irritating, especially for the face.