While people who live in other states may be putting the sunscreen away for fall, folks in Hawai'i need to think sun protection year-round.

So last month's news that federal officials are moving forward on new sunscreen rules is ever more important here. But rather than wait until 2009, consumers can sun more safely already, said state health officials.

Sun protection should be a big deal for all of us, says Danette Wong Tomiyasu, the chief of the chronic disease management and control branch of the state Department of Health.

Each year in Hawai'i, nearly 8,000 cases of skin cancer are treated, many of them associated with exposure to the sun, Tomiyasu said.

While it is true that people with fair skin and freckles are at greater risk, she said it's important to realize that even people who don't burn easily can get skin cancer.

Ultraviolet radiation — or UV — is still there even on a cloudy or cool day. And that's why you need to be looking for SPF — sun protection factor — of 15 or more.

Scientists came up with SPF to measure how much solar energy or UV radiation is required to produce sunburn on skin with sunscreen. So the higher the SPF, the more protected the skin. SPF 30 sunscreens provide more sunburn protection than SPF 8 sunscreens.

However, experts caution against complacency and against reading the wrong thing from that number.

The SPF does not tell you how long you may stay in the sun. For example, some people think that if they normally get a sunburn after an hour that an SPF 15 would allow them to stay in the sun 15 hours or 15 times longer.

That doesn't add up, because the amount of solar energy exposure changes depending on conditions. An hour of exposure at 9 a.m. could equal 15 minutes in the sun at 1 p.m.

Generally, it takes less time to be exposed to the same amount of solar energy at midday compared to early morning or late evening because the sun is more intense at midday relative to the other times. And where you live also relates, with greater solar intensity happening for those of us closer to the equator.

Because clouds absorb solar energy, clear days offer more exposure than cloudy ones.

The FDA proposes capping the highest SPF value at 50, unless companies can show test results to back up a higher number and better protection. Until recently, most sunscreens sold in the United States have filtered out mostly UVB but not UVA rays — even if they promised broad protection.

New rules would start a four-star system to rate the UVA protection provided by sunscreens and spell out the protection level as "low," "medium," "high" or "highest."

One of the companies that has been working to build a better sunscreen is Hawaiian Island Creations.

Nic Martens, a Southern California scientist and former Johnson & Johnson/Neutrogena lead skincare product developer, recently debuted a new sunscreen that's being marketed to surfers. Martens and his partner John Bowens are avid surfers and frequent Hawai'i in search of waves.

Both said they suffered from the lack of sunscreens capable of withstanding the challenges of surfing, so Martens kept working "to develop the ultimate sunscreen specifically designed for high-exposure water action sports."

That product recently arrived in local surf shops. The HIC 2X Sunblock is available in both SPF 30 and SPF 50 4-oz. bottles at a list price of $12.99. The creators said they were looking for something that succeeds in these key areas: absorbs immediately into the skin without greasy residue; is waterproof and sweat-proof; won't run; protects longer than other sunscreens.

More people are much better about using sunscreen in Hawai'i, Tomiyasu said. But many forget to apply it 20 to 30 minutes before they go out in the sun. And many stop at one application, when they need to do more, especially when swimming, surfing or sweating.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remind us to use a handful of sunscreen to cover the entire body. And to shake it up so the protective particles spread out.

Tomiyasu suggests parents start their kids out right with good sunscreen habits, protective clothing and sunglasses with UV protection. Remember that it's more than a fashion statement — the sunglasses should protect and wrap around your eyes.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.