Is cheaper better? …Apparently yes, according to Consumer Reports the BEST sunscreens for 2013 are some of the most inexpensive lotions on the market. Wearing Sunscreen is vitally important if you would like to protect your skin from Melanoma. Sunscreen should actually be worn all year to protect the skin from sun damage. Many dark-skinned people do not think they  need to wear sun-protection, but my friends those black spots on your skin are not moles they are sun damage, you too are not immune from skin cancer. Many people come to the Hamptons during the summer and just bake in the sun. I find no fun in baking in the sun, however if this floats your boat, then make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your skin. Listed below are the 6 BEST and most productive sunscreen products to protect your skin.

Consumer Reports: If you sunburn in 20 minutes without sunscreen, an SPF 30 product should protect your skin for about 10 hours (20 minutes times 30). In addition retinoids, part of the vitamin A family and an inactive ingredient in some sunscreens, have caused an increase in skin cancers in mice. There’s also a risk of birth defects in people taking oral acne medications containing retinoids, though they differ from the retinoids in sunscreens. As a precaution, pregnant women may want to choose a sunscreen without the ingredient retinol or retinyl palmitate. For more information and result information click here:

Consumer Reports  BEST results are these 6, and they will not break your pocketbook this summer…

• Target Up & up sport spf 50, $5-$11
• Equate ultra protection spf 50 $5-$10
• Coppertone water babies 50 lotion, $7-$12
• Walgreens Spray sport SPF50, $8-$15
• Hawiian tropic sheer touch SPF 30 $5-$10
• Copper tone sport high performance SPF 30 $8-$12

Tips from Consumer Reports

Use sunscreen properly and get the most protection from the sun, follow these tips:

• Put sunscreen on 15 to 30 minutes before your head out into the sun. Most creams take more than 30 seconds to rub in.
• For lotions, use at least 2 to 3 tablespoons to cover your body. For sprays, apply as much as can be rubbed in, then repeat.
• Reapply all sunscreen, regardless of its SPF, every 2 hours and again after you swim or sweat, since sunscreen can rub off or wash off during the day. (Some leave a residue on skin. Most sunscreens left stains that didn’t wash out of cotton, polyester, and rayon/spandex.)
• Limit your time in the sun, and if possible, wear protective clothing, a hat, and sunglasses.
• Check the expiration date. The FDA requires manufacturers to provide an expiration date or show that a product will remain stable (but not necessarily maintain its SPF) for at least three years. If you buy an undated sunscreen, mark the purchase date on the container and, to be prudent, toss it once it’s two years old.
• Don’t store sunscreen in a hot car—it may degrade faster. And skiers take note: Once frozen, sunscreens may lose effectiveness.

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You can find many of these products @ White’s Pharmacy in East Hampton, CVS, Rite-Aid , Kmart, Walmart and Target