How can I know what level of sun protection is right for me?

To protect skin from sun damage and "premature aging,” use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and reapply every couple of hours, and after swimming or vigorous sports. If your skin is very fair, be sure to protect yourself with a hat and proper clothing. The Sun Protection Factor helps you determine how long the sunscreen will protect your skin. In general, if your skin is fair, you will burn more quickly than if your skin is olive or dark. To determine how long you can stay outdoors without burning, take the number of minutes it takes your unprotected skin to start turning red, then multiply it by the SPF factor. For example, if your unprotected skin begins to redden in 10 minutes, an SPF of 15 will give you 150 minutes (2 1/2 hours) of sun protection (10 minutes x SPF 15=150). .