I went to dh's follow up appt. to the dermatologist yesterday...no cancer...one small area has "abnormal cells", so it's being removed...anyhow, the Dr. told us to always use 30 sunscreen that blocks both UVA & UVB rays. Never use under 30 and to not waste our money on anything over 30, because the protection above 30 is negligible and it always costs more--and you get nothing more than the less expensive 30. He gave me the names of a couple of products he recommends that are found at the pharmacy or regular store...one for sensitive kid's skin and one good for adults, especially if they're at work or outside, where it' not feasible to reapply. Let me know if anyone wants the brands.

As a side note, I always apply a moisturizer with 15 protection under my powder mineral foundation, but since I need to change that now...this morning I decided to apply the 30 sunscreen we use for outside activities under my make-up...normally I don't bother with make-up if we're at the beach, fishing, etc. Anyway, the make-up is so smooth over the sunscreen..I love it! My regular sunscreen is the regular NO-AD brand,spf 30 for kids in the green bottle. It's hypo-allergenic, waterproof, sweatproof, and not greasy. It's also probably one of the least expensive "sensitive" skin brands at Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Well, I thought I'd share for the health and cost savings aspect, but I really love the way the make-up goes on over the sunscreen, too...I'm such a dope for not realizing this sooner.

I'm interested in the brands from the dermatologist...

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thanks for the tips!!!

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married 8 years to a crazy Brit, mommy to a banana, she is 4 and a pineapple who is 1 year, mommy to 3 ~angel~ babies

For the kid's (or anyone's) sensitive skin, he recommends Blue Lizard Sensitive SPF 30. It's chemical and fragrance free. He said it's sometimes hard to find and to ask the pharmacist.

For regular sunscreen, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch sunblock SPF 30.

He didn't ask me what we normally use, but I did compare the active ingredients and the Neutrogena has completely different ingredients than my regular sunscreen....and the Blue Lizard and the Neutrogena also have different active ingredients from each other (although the Blue Lizard is for sensitive skin, so maybe that's why). He only made these suggestions after I asked, so I don't think there's anything wrong with using what I already have. He gave me a sample of each of them, but he definitely wasn't pushing me to only get them...it's just what he recommends. His practice is strictly health related..no Botox, etc., so I think if he felt we should only use these or if we needed to make sure it contains any particular ingredients, he would've told us.

I bought several bottles of the Neutrogena Dry Touch Sheer Sunblock on sale last summer - I really like it. I hate using strong sunscreen on my face, though, it reeks and sometimes I get it into my eyes

This Neutrogena has no sunscreen smell at all...it's just like my regular face moisturizer... maybe they've changed it since last summer? My No-Ad brand has no smell either. I agree...I wouldn't be able to stand having a thick, smelly sunscreen on my face all day either and I was very careful to not get it into my eyes..I actually did not even put it too close, just in case of sweat or anything...it would burn!

I read that if you are going to use moisturizer and sunscreen, that you should apply the sunscreen first.

We also use the No-Ad 30 spf.
Even though my facial moisturizer has 15 spf, I first use Hawaiian Tropic's "Oil Free Faces Sunblock" sheer reflections formula, 30 spf. I really like it because it is not thick or smelly. My dd's like it, too.

My kids prefer the spray-on sunscreens, but it seems like so much goes to waste just misting through the air!

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I used the sunscreen instead of my moisturizer, not both ...I have normal/slightly sensitive skin...do you use both the sunscreen and the moisturizer because your skin is dry or is there another reason why I should use both?

I did environmental research on sunblocks and found out some crazy stuff when I was employed at the research center. SPF 30 works great, if you go up to SPF 45, your price increases by about $3-4, but the effectiveness only goes up about 1%!

I am a HUGE fan of Blue Lizard sensitive sunscreen. It is an Australian company and it is fabulous. My 7 year old has very, very sensitive skin and it is the only kind of sunscreen that doesn't make him break out in a rash. My whole family uses it now. CVS sells it and I also buy it from drugstore.com when they are running a free shipping special. It is cheaper there. One word of warning - it turns your skin sort of a sickly white color when you apply it. You have to get used to it. But the water literally beads off your skin because it is such a barrier. It is thick like that zinc oxide that lifeguards used to wear on their noses in the seventies (I am dating myself now ).