CHAMPAIGN — Take it from a doctor who sees thousands of cases of skin cancer.

New regulations that make it easier for people to choose an effective sunscreen are good.

"These are great new regulations," said Dr. Lester Fahrner, a dermatologist at Christie Clinic in Champaign. "It makes the sunscreen choices much clearer."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced changes in mid-June for over-the-counter sunscreens.

Among the new regulations:

— Sunscreens can be labeled "broad spectrum" if they pass an FDA test for protection against ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation.

— Only those sunscreens that can pass the broad spectrum test and have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or greater can claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.

— Products can't be labeled "sweatproof" or "waterproof" or "sunblock" because those claims overstate effectiveness.

— Sunscreens that aren't water-resistant must advise users on the label to use a water-resistant sunscreen while swimming or sweating.

Fahrner says the new regulations will remove the guesswork from sunscreen shopping, because people will have to remember only two things: broad spectrum and SPF 15 or greater.

Carle dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Small said she was happy to see that none of these products will be able to claim they're "waterproof" any more.

"None of them are," she said.

But Small said she wishes the FDA had given sunscreen users a better sense of how much sunscreen the average adult needs to apply — one shot glass full.

People tend to skimp when they apply sunscreen, she said. And that being the case, she thinks the FDA should have required a minimum SPF 30-plus in combination with broad spectrum for a sunscreen to make the claim that it reduces the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.

"If you're only putting on half of what you need, that gives you an SPF of 7.5, and that's worthless," Small said.

Sunscreen manufacturers have until next summer to make the changes, but consumers may see changes on sunscreen labels sooner, according to the FDA.

Fahrner and Small said they also support a proposed FDA rule that would limit the SPF value on sunscreen labels to 50-plus, on the grounds that there isn't sufficient data to show products with SPF values higher than 50 provide greater protection than products that are SPF 50.

"Scientifically, there is almost no utility in those higher numbers," Fahrner said.

The FDA also intends to look at the effectiveness and safety of sunscreen in spray form vs. cream, oil and lotion forms, because the manner of application differs significantly.

Fahrner says this shouldn't be misinterpreted as a concern that sunscreen isn't safe, and he urges everyone to continue using it.

"There is no reason to believe that sunscreen ingredients aren't safe," he said.

Small said she prefers sunscreens in lotion and cream forms, but her main concern for busy moms is that they get any form of sunscreen protection on their children. And, she said, she'd like to see more moms getting their blonde, blue-eyed kids to wear shirts in the swimming pool because too many of these kids are getting sunburned.

Children move fast, and if mom can catch up with them with the sunscreen spray, go for it, she says.

"We don't operate in a perfect world," Small said. "I'm not going to split hairs with the moms. If she can grab them for five seconds and spray them with sunscreen, fine."