Sunblock?

[BostonChic]

I was wondering,I have some old sunblock possibly from a year or two ago.Are they still of use or should i just throw them out? :confused:
no expiration date :shrug:

We're visiting with little ones in May. :whew::sun:

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

The sunblock will still be good but for every year that it is old it loses a little bit of its SPF. I have some that are 3 or 4 years old and they still work. I really haven't noticed any change in them but I have read that that's what happens to sunscreen.

[dolphinmickey9170]

I'm still using the same sunblock bottle for 5 years, I bought jumbo size at wholesale club. It still works just as well as it did when I first bought it. I haven't burned yet. Good luck and you should be fine.:mickey:

[azdisneymom]

Throw it out! Please, I am a survivor of malignant melanoma. Never ever use anything that is over one year old, even if it has not reached the expiration date. Just got to any site that talks about melanoma and they will tell you the same thing. Do not go through what I have. Always purchase a new bottle each year, apply liberally (most people don't put on enough) and reapply often. Older sunblock may work to some extent but it has lost some of it's protective qualities. Please protect yourself and your children.

I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks for listening. :blush:

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I found a link that tells you how long each individual brand of sunscreen is good for. It varies depending on what kind you have. The average seems to be 3 years. Hope this helps.

http://www.uspharmacist.com/index.asp?show=article&page=8_1323.htm

[kakn7294]

Oh, thanks! I've never heard most of that about sunblock but it's great info! I feel much better about my choices now.

[thrillme]

2 years ain't so bad...

Thanks for that site belllovesthebeast...looks like MOST blocks have a 3 year shelf life.

I know I've used 2 year plus sunblock without any issues. I throw it out if it's been exposed to intense heat.

[BostonChic]

Thanks for all the replies :)
I kept a new one I hadn't opened yet and tossed out my open/used ones :confused:
better safe than sorry!I always want the best protection for the kids :sun: :heart:

[dolphinmickey9170]

I guess I'll be getting rid of that old stuff. Thanks for the info!:mickey:

[baby minnie's mommy]

I had a bottle for less than 2 years and had to throw it out because it already expired. It was one I had for DD. I recommend tossing sunscreen you're unsure about, especially if it's for the kids. They are too inexpensive to bother keeping.

I buy sunscreen meant for our DD's age, then DH and I also use it. That way I only buy one bottle. And it smells good, too. :)

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Growing up I don't think my parents bought anything higher than an SPF 8. We never got burned though. But things have changed the past 25-30 years since then.

[BigRedDad]

I recommend talking to your dermatologist or contacting one via email if you don't have one. I did not have melanoma, but I have had many precancerous and two basel cell carcinomas removed. A $10 bottle of sunscreen is FAR cheaper per person per year in their lifetime than a single instance of a Moh's surgery. The lasting effects of skin damage are not worth it.

As azdisneymom said, you don't want to go through it. One bad cancer cell in the wrong place can be devastating for the rest of your or your child's life. A basel cell carcinoma on the ear, nose, eyelid or lip could leave permanent disfiguration that cannot be corrected with cosmetic surgery.

I had my cancer cell right next to my tear duct and eye. It almost turned into major surgery by having to take part of my eyelid, reattaching the tear duct, skin grafts. Any of which would have me looking like a mongloid. I was lucky enough to be in an area with one of the top surgeons around. I got lucky, plain and simple.

My advice, if you cannot afford a $10 bottle of new sunblock, then you may want to consider if going to WDW is really the right thing to do.

[DestinationWDW]

:yes: I totally agree with above poster - when in doubt, throw it out! I too had a big scare. My hubbie and I went on a cruise a few years back and I didn't bother with sun screen because I was the type that "never burns and always tans". Well, when I got home :eek: noticed mole on my arm that was different - now bigger than pencil eraser with irregular edges = sign of CANCER! Thank goodness it was caught before it turned into something worse - got it and several other suspicious moles removed. You should apply your sunscreen faithfully, liberally and BEFORE you go out into the sun!:cool: And don't forget yearly mole checks by your dermatologists too!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

I throw our sunblock out at the end of every summer, hardly used or not.
I then head to our local surf shop to buy a bottle or two for the fall/winter.

Two of my kids are allergic to many sunblocks so, we only buy No-Ad which can be hard to find around here.

Sun protection has always been a pet peeve of mine. It drives my DH crazy when he sees me throwing away a half used bottle of $12 sunblock.

Oh well, he gets over it. ;)

[PixieChick]

Hi,
I'm sure your sunscreen is fine, especially after reading that website but I'm kinda neurotic about sunscreen and throw it out after a year. We burn very easily and I've had vacations ruined due to severe sunburns. Plus like others have said, skin cancer should be a real concern for everyone. I would probably toss it.

[vamaggie]

Here's my :twocents: Unless you are buying HUGE quantities of sunblock, you should not have any left over! I believe that the recommendation is about 1/4 oz per person and to reapply after about 2 hours. Doing that math, most families of 4 should go through a bottle in about a week or so. Most folks do not apply enough or often enough. My kids go crazy because I am always reapplying but having had 3 "things" removed off me (I grew up using baby oil and baking in the sun!) and one off DH that was re-cancerous I am willing to take their tantrums to try to protect them. Use the sunblock you have (even in winter) and buy new often. Ok, off the :soapbox:

[kakn7294]

Here's my :twocents: Unless you are buying HUGE quantities of sunblock, you should not have any left over!That's not quite true that you shouldn't have any left over. I'm NOT an outdoorsy person and don't need to apply sunblock often because I'm not outside often. I prefer relaxing inside with my A/C and computer.

[playdead88]

we tell our patients that each person should use a shot glass worth of sunblock each time they put it on - and with the exp. sunblock our rule is "when in doubt, throw it out" that rule applies to any over-the-counter drug/lotion that you don't see an exp. date on - hope that helps and have fun in the sun!! :mickey:

[lovedisneyworld]

My dermatologist said to throw out the sunscreen every year and not keep it past a year. Always start each year with a fresh bottle.