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Medical Daily
Medical Daily
Health
Cole Mercer

Your SPF Number Says Nothing About UVA Protection, and the U.S. Has No Rating for It

The number printed largest on a bottle of sunscreen measures one thing, and it is not the thing most associated with melanoma.

SPF quantifies protection against UVB radiation, the wavelength that causes sunburn. UVA penetrates deeper, drives photoaging, and contributes to skin cancer risk. An SPF 100 product tells a shopper nothing about how much UVA protection it provides, and in the United States there is no rating scale that would.

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