Now's the time of year we need to really be protecting our skin. Ideally all year round you're paying attention to this but with how hot and sunny it's been and how much time you're spending outside don't forget to apply the sunscreen! I usually go through a few bottles a year but no matter what I always seem to have some left over at the end of summer. Then when a new summer season starts I stock up again and forgot about the ones I had from last year. According to an article posted at Prevention.com, Dermatologists say sunscreen does have an expiration date and if it's expired it may not work as well so your chances of getting sunburn increase. The Food and Drug Administration does require that the product retain its original strength for three years but there are other things that can contribute to making it expire earlier. The article mentions that if you bring your sunscreen to the beach and it sits in the hot sun, it may actually go bad before the expiration date.
So if you've had a bottle for a while and are wondering if it's still good, pay attention to the quality. If it starts to look discolored or smell funny you should toss it because your sunscreen shouldn't change in color or consistency. Ideally you shouldn't have to worry about having expired sunscreen on hand because if you're using the correct amount the bottle shouldn't last more than one summer. It's recommended that you apply a shot glass-sized amount to cover exposed body parts and reapply every two hours. Click here to read more from Prevention.com.