Delete the word sunblock from your vocabulary. It is officially considered a misnomer. In June, the FDA updated for the first time in 30 years the rules about sunscreen. Starting next year, any rating higher than SPF 50 is out, along with terms we’ve come to use with regularity like sunblock, water proof, and sweat proof.

The new regulations will now allow sunscreen products that pass the FDA’s test for protection against both UVA and UVB rays to be labeled as being Broad Spectrum. “UVA,” says Dr. Antoanella Calame, a La Jolla dermatologist, “has never been measured as part of a sun protection factor scale before.” Sunburn is primarily caused by UVB radiation but the more dangerous UVA radiation contributes to sunburn, skin cancer, and premature skin aging.

“These new guidelines are really meant to give consumers better information about what they’re getting from their sunscreen,” says Calame. “In asking people, we found out that they think they are getting much more protection than they really are. The recommendations were made to basically improve use and to not get a false sense of security.”

Products that have SPF values between 2 and 14 may be labeled as Broad Spectrum if they pass the required test, but only products that are labeled both as Broad Spectrum with SPF values of 15 or higher may state that they reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging when used as directed.

Dr. Calame explains that “an SPF of 15 will probably screen about 94 percent of the UV rays for an hour or two. But these things are not linear. An SPF of 30 will screen about 97 percent, so you’re only getting about a 3 percent improvement. And,” she says, “you have to put on a lot of sunscreen to gain the protection listed on the bottle.” Experts say a wad of product the size of a golf ball, or about an ounce, is needed to cover one’s body.

“The other thing starting in 2012 is that any sun screen that is less than SPF 15 or that doesn’t have good UVA protection will actually have a warning on the bottle.”

Dr. Calame advises the regular use of an SPF 30 product and to look for ingredients in sunscreens that give broader protection from the elements such as parsol 1789 (avobenzone) or mexoryl. When should sunscreen be used? “Every morning before going outside. Period.” Dr. Calame says that incidental exposure to the sun is the most injurious. “When you don’t use sunscreen because you’re planning on being in the office all day, that’s when you can get the worst exposure.”

Can the use of sunscreen really help prevent skin cancer? Dr. Calame says yes. The results of a recent study in Australia agree that “regular sunscreen use prevents cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma long term, but the effect on melanoma is highly controversial.” The study concludes that melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, may be preventable by regular sunscreen use in adults.

About 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are reported in the U.S. annually.

Still, ultra-white skin is considered to be a social faux-pas among certain age groups. Solutions like spray-on tans are perfectly safe, says Dr. Calame, but tanning beds are not.

Tanning lamps were discovered in the early 1900s by a German company that was developing lighting systems for home and industrial usage. But it was a German inventor named Friedrich Wolff who converted the UV bulbs to use in tanning beds and brought them to America in 1979, thereby spawning a new industry.

“The problem is that not only do tanning beds provide more concentrated UV exposure, but, that they are used by the population that you least want to have UV exposure.” Teenagers, she says, are beginning to show UV damage. “Tanning from UV beds actually increases your risk of skin cancer and melanoma.”