Multipurpose sunscreens offer more than just sun protection

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Lauren Glassberg has the story. (WABC)

They are the accessory of the season: sunscreens. But now there are products that offer more than sun protection.

From moisturizing to skin repair, they have a variety of purposes.

When it comes to the sun, people have their strategies.

"I don't always wear sunblock because I try to walk in the shade but when I do I use Ban de Soleil number 4," one woman said.

Dermatologists will recommend wearing an SPF of at least 30, but now some sun screens contain extra benefits.

"A lot of products on the market are multi taskers. "We won't have a lot of time to apply a lot of different products and now we have sun screens that can actually do that," said Dr. Josh Zeichner. "They can protect us from the sun and repair our skin at the same time."

Dr. Zeichner is a dermatologst at Mount Sinai. He says these new multi-tasking products may incentivize people to wear sunblock, and that's a good thing when it comes to fighting skin cancer and premature aging.

One product has 50 SPF plus antioxidants, which fight damage caused by the sun's rays.

Peptides are also in some products. "Peptides are messengers that tell your skin cells to rev up collagen production so that's what helps your skin look plump and supple," said Dr. Zeichner.

How about a little DNA repair in that sunblock? "We know that ultra violet light damages our cells DNA and our body naturally repairs it but sometimes you can use a little extra help," said Dr. Zeichner.

And some extra help comes in the form of infrared protection. Protection from the effects of heat, from the sun or even from cooking.

And just like regular sun block, these need to be reapplied regularly throughout the day, and even then that doesn't give you a free pass to a lot of baking in the sun.

"Using one of these smarter sunscreens doesn't mean you should exercise sun protective behavior that you would use otherwise," said Dr. Zeichner.
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