The Problem with Sunscreen

Fall may be here, but that doesn't mean we should ditch the sunscreen!  Even in the cooler months, the sun is still shining and on cloudy days the UVA rays are still penetrating.

There's tons of information about sunscreens and how important it is to wear them on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, how do we determine which sunscreens are good and which are bad??  

Media, Celebrity endorsements and the Internet is over-loaded with information and we get so confused that we just buy the cheapest, or what's on sale or we the coupon we clipped from a magazine or newspaper.

But do you really know what ingredients are in those sunscreens??  

A good client of mine, told me about this article that states Neutrogena is the #1 WORST sunscreen on the market because of false advertisement and ingredients that are toxic and can actually CAUSE skin cancer.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) posted it's 2015 list of the top 10 worst sunscreens.  Luckily, at the end, it does list recommended sunscreens.

Spray sunscreens (while super-easy to use) are the biggest fault, not to mention that any sunscreen over SPF of 30 is really ineffective and doesn't protect MORE than 97% of the sun's rays.  The only thing those sunscreens are doing is adding more chemicals to the sunscreens.

What should we wear??

There are 2 types of Sunscreens on the market; Physical and Chemical sunscreens:

Chemical Sunscreens are just that and there are hundreds of ingredients that make up a chemical sunscreen.  Some are just UVA or UVB protective and others can protect against both UVA and UVB rays.

Here's the bottom line.  When you apply a Chemical sunscreen, your skin absorbs the chemicals and some do have the potential to get into the bloodstream and can cause Estrogenic effects in the body.  

Once absorbed into the skin, which takes about 20-30 minutes after application, the skin then absorbs the sun's rays and disperses them either throughout the body or the bloodstream.  The problem with this method is that the sun is still causing Free Radicals in the body. 

Free Radicals mean that an atom has an extra Oxygen molecule and another atom will "steal" that oxygen atom to make itself even.  The problem with this, is that it's a vicious cycle and that our bodies are constantly stealing atoms to make others "complete".

Chemical sunscreens and sun exposure make this Free Radical reaction worse!!

Physical Sunscreens consist of only 2 ingredients, Zinc Oxide (the most common) and Titanium Dioxide.  These are both UVA and UVB protective.

Here's what makes Physical sunscreens better...
#1: If you have sensitive skin, you will NOT react from either of these ingredients.
#2: These are minerals and your body recognizes them.
#3: These ingredients do NOT cause harm to our bodies or create Free Radical damage.

When you apply a Physical sunscreen, it still takes about 20-30 minutes for your skin to absorb.

Here's the difference, when you are exposed to the sun, Physical sunscreens act as a mirror and deflect the sun's rays away from your body, so there is very minimal sun absorption in our bodies.

Also, if our bodies are to absorb the Physical sunscreens into our bloodstream, Zinc Oxide is a natural mineral and our bodies can actually USE the minerals.

Bottom line, read labels!!!

You want to switch to a Physical sunscreen because it is less likely to irritate the skin, it's easily absorbed and you are not putting chemicals in your body.

Also, make sure that the Zinc Oxide is at least 8-10%.  Also read labels because some companies say they are Zinc Oxide-based, and add chemicals to make up the difference.

Any questions, please comment below or email me!!