Summer is closer than we think here in the northwest, but because we don’t see so much sun doesn’t mean that sunscreen shouldn’t be a part of our summer.  Exploring new trails to hike, running outside in the bright morning sun, and camping are all part of enjoying the warmer weather and taking advantage of our beautiful scenery.  When spending time outside for prolonged periods, it’s helpful to protect your skin again damaging UVA and UVB rays.  However, choosing a sunscreen or even wearing sunscreen has become a controversial issue in some circles.  Ultraviolet radiation or UV rays are the electromagnetic light spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun.  When sunscreens advertise that they protect against UVA or UVB rays they are talking about the short and long waves that cause sunburn and lasting damage to our skin.  UVA (ultraviolet A) rays cause the most damage to our skin, creating a loss of skin elasticity and wrinkles whereas UVB rays are shorter rays that are responsible for sunburns.  So when picking a sunscreen, what do the SPF numbers really mean? SPF, or sun protection factor is a measure of the product’s ability to prevent damage to the skin by ultraviolet rays.   SPF 15 is one of the lowest numbers and protects against sun burn in mild climates and the higher the number, theoretically, the more protection from ultra violet rays.  However, many sunscreens contain ingredients that have been labeled as harmful including, retinyl palmitate and oxybenzone.  Although it’s important to use something to protect our skin when we can’t cover up or seek shade, we don’t want to use harmful chemicals on our skin.  In this case, the best protection is understanding how to read the sunscreen’s label and knowing what type of sun protection you will need.  Natural health food stores offer products sans the chemicals that are harmful and can be an alternative to drugstore sunscreen options.  Enjoy the sun, but protect your skin with products that you feel are right for you! As always, knowledge is power and knowing what your options are will empower to enjoy the sun safely this summer.