Last week, in Part 1 of our two part Summer Survival Guide series, we discussed the “how” and the “who” of sun-induced skin damage – how the sun affects your body and who is more likely to be affected. This week, we’re going to look at the “what” – namely, what ingredients make a good sunscreen.
Most of us have heard about the dangers of too much sun exposure, but what about the potential dangers of those unrecognizable ingredients in sunscreen?
I often tell my patients the importance of reading labels when it comes to food. If we’re putting it in our body, we want to be pretty sure it’s safe and healthy. But many people don’t think about the things they’re putting on their body. Our skin is the largest organ of the body and one of the primary ways our bodies interact with the external environment. Our pores let toxic things out of our body, making our skin one of our primary detoxification organs. Unfortunately (at least when it comes to toxins), our pores are more like a revolving door than a one way channel – they let things in just as easily as they let things out. Which is why we want to be just as careful about what goes on our body as what goes in.
My general rule of thumb when it comes to food labels is, if you don’t recognize it or can’t pronounce it, it’s likely your body won’t metabolize it (at least not happily). When it comes to skin care labels, the rule is largely the same.
A few of the common ingredients in sunscreen that fall under this rule are oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate, parabens, phthalates and synthetic musks. Oxybenzone is commonly added to sunscreens due to its ability to absorb UV light. Unfortunately, it also has estrogenic activity, and has been linked to hormone disruption, endometriosis and cancer. Retinyl palmitate is a form of vitamin A, which, while it sounds like a harmless, natural ingredient, can actually increase the rate of proliferation of cancerous cells when exposed to sun, making it a less than ideal sunscreen ingredient. Parabens, phthalates and synthetic musks are fragrant compounds that are often added to skin care products to give them a pleasing smell. And while the aroma of coconut may bring about happy thoughts of the beach, these chemicals are common hormone disruptors that can cause reproductive problems and be carcinogenic.
So what’s a health-conscious individual to do when stuck between the perils of excessive UV radiation and the hazards of toxic sunscreen ingredients? Luckily, it only takes a few easy swaps (and a bit of label savvy) to protect yourself from both the sun and unnecessary chemicals.
First, look for mineral based products rather than those containing oxybenzone or other synthetic sun protectants. Zinc and Titanium are common minerals that offer protection from UV rays without the hormone disruption.
Opt for lotions, rather than sprays or powders, which can be inhaled and cause lung irritation and systemic side effects, and look for the “unscented” versions, which are less likely to have pleasant-smelling-but-potentially-toxic chemicals.
Look at the SPF, but understand that it’s not the be-all and end-all. A sunscreen’s Sun Protection Factor is a measure of how effective the sunscreen is at preventing sunburns. SPF reflects how many times longer a person can be out in the sun before burning; so if you would typically burn within 10 minutes when not wearing sunscreen, lathering up with SPF 30 should allow you to be out in the sun for ~300 minutes (10 minutes x 30 SPF) before burning. However, while SPF is a good measurement of a sunscreen’s effectiveness at preventing sunburn, it is not reflective of it’s effectiveness at preventing sun damage. This is because SPF only measures the sunscreen’s ability to block the type of UV light that causes sunburns – UVB. It does not measure the sunscreen’s ability to measure the other major type of UV light. UVA rays, though they don’t cause the skin to burn, are responsible for causing significant skin damage and are strongly associated with photo-aging and DNA damage. This makes it important to look for a broad spectrum sunscreen that offers protection against UVA and UVB rays. While almost all sunscreens shield against UVB rays, many do not block UVA rays, which actually have a greater potential to cause skin cancer.
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