SPF? What is that? I just put on sunscreen because it keeps my skin from burning and prevents that leathery look that so many people are sporting on the beaches these days.  I usually choose a middle SPF, which sounds safe to me.  Something like a 30 SPF that gives me a slight tan but yet keeps me safe from skin damage.

To be completely honest, I have no clue what SPF even stands for.  Sun… protective… force?  So I looked it up, and it actually stands for sun protection factor (I was pretty close, don’t laugh!).  Anyways, the SPF number supposedly lets you know how long you can stay outside without burning.  For instance, if you use SPF 20, you can stay our in the sun 20 times longer without burning than you would had you not applied the sunscreen.

Interesting, but still pretty vague to me.  I have no idea how long it would take my skin to burn and the varying harshness of the sun, times that by 30 seems like more work than I am willing.   For those that need a little simplifying, most articles I found recommend using at minimum a sunscreen that contains SPF 15 if you are going to be out in the sun for 2 hours or less, and a SPF 30 if you are going to be in the sun for over 2 hours.