What SPF should you be using?

"What SPF should you be using?
A. 15
B. 30
C. 30+

Answer: B. Dermatologists used to recommend SPF 15, but most now say that going higher provides a crucial margin of error. 'If you don't apply enough sunscreen -- and most people don't -- then an SPF 15 will be only a 6 or 7,' says Andrew Kaufman, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. 'If you don't use enough of an SPF 30, it may only be equivalent to a 15.' Sunscreens with SPF over 30 also have a place, says Kaufman, especially for very sun-sensitive patients (including those with certain diseases like lupus), anyone who's had or is at high risk of skin cancer, and those on medications -- certain antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control pills and hormone therapy, retinoids, and natural remedies such as St. John's wort -- that make skin more susceptible to burning."

info. from Prevention.com