Sunscreen - Safer than Sun Exposure or Not?
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We have all heard the statistics concerning sun exposure and melanoma incidences. Most
of us slather on the sunscreen before any possible sun contact, especially on our children.
But how many of us have researched the safety of those sunscreens?
If you are anything like most people, your decision was based on availability, price and
scent with safety an afterthought. Especially for children, safety needs to be your first
concern.
The reasons for this increase are multi-factorial. Pollution, depletion of the ozone,
unregulated tanning salons and people living longer, all contribute but the biggest factor is
early sun exposure.
UVA/UVB
Ultraviolet-A (UVA) are long-wave solar rays that penetrate the skin more deeply and are
less likely to cause sunburn. UVA cause photo-aging. UVA is believed to exacerbate UVB's
carcinogenic effects.
Ultraviolet-B (UVB) are short-wave solar rays responsible for sunburns. They’re
considered the leading cause of basal and squamous cell skin cancer, and a significant
contributor to melanoma.
Protection requires more than globbing sunscreens or sunblocks onto skin. Sunscreens
don't prevent skin cancer, they can only reduce the risk. If time spent in the sun remains
the same, a person with a 50 percent chance of developing skin cancer will reduce his
risk to only 20 percent with daily use of sunscreen.
Avoiding the sun between 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., when the rays are most powerful, is the best
option for protection against UV rays, dermatologists say.
Overall, there are two basic types of skin cream or lotion protection: sunscreens, which
absorb and deflect (or reflect) the sun's rays via a chemical reaction, and "blocks"—zinc
oxide and titanium dioxide—which create a physical barrier against rays. Most commercial
products offer a combination of the two, but when possible avoid the following
ingredients:
• PABA: 40% of the population is sensitive to it, experiencing red, itchy skin.
• Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate
(octinoxate), Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): These have shown
estrogenic activity in lab tests. They have been shown to disrupt hormones, affecting the
development of the brain (particularly the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal system) and
reproductive organs in laboratory rats.
• Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and
avobenzone): These have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight.
On the skin's surface, these chemicals do protect from UV damage; however, once
absorbed into the skin, these same chemicals can prove destructive. They are excited by
the UV energy which they absorb and become reactive, acquiring the potential to attack
cellular components, including DNA.
Choose Sun Blocks
Zinc oxide, which lies on the skin without being absorbed, is completely safe. Beware of
nanotechnology, a number of animal studies have shown that at least some nanoparticles
can penetrate cells and tissues, migrate through the body and brain and cause biochemical
damage.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has shown phototoxicity (or the capability to damage skin upon
exposure to light), but as a sunscreen appears to be safe, based on what is known so far.
According to current evidence titanium dioxide is much less likely than other chemical
sunscreens to penetrate human skin. Note that on sunscreen labels companies rarely
distinguish between sunscreens and sunblock, and instead use the term "sunscreen" for
both. Look for zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredient when choosing.
Lots of the newer mineral based makeup functions as a sunscreen as well simply because it
is based on Titanium Dioxice.
Protective Clothing
The right clothing can protect against the sun's harmful rays. Sunglasses and wide-brimmed
hats are obvious choices. Claims of sun protectiveness factors, however, are not reliable
here.
So consider these factors when choosing appropriate clothing (most important factors are
listed first):
weave (tighter is best),
color (darker fabrics let less light through than lighter),
weight (the heavier, the better) and
stretch (stretch clothing loses UV protection as the item stretches out).
You'll be well-protected wearing unbleached cotton or high-luster polyester or satiny silk,
which reflect radiation. Clothes made from polyester crepe, bleached cotton or viscose
offer little protection because they are transparent to UV rays.
You can also consider investing in ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing. Clothes
with UPF, which is similar to SPF, are increasing with many lines emerging from Australia.
Coolibar offers fashions from clothing to hats and swimwear. All of Coolibar's clothing is
made to maximize sun protection, with many pieces using microfibers containing titanium
dioxide to diffuse 98% of UV rays.
The Skin Cancer Foundation also endorses SunGuard, a laundry additive made by the
company that makes Rit dyes. The product claims to block 96% of harmful rays, with the
active ingredient being a blocking agent called Tinosorb. SunGuard contains no fragrances
or petrochemicals, but the product is not for children 2 years or under.
One great source of topical product safety information is the Environmental Working
Group. This web site allows you to check on the safety of almost any skin product.
Another site for toxicity information is Scorecard, the pollution information site.
of us slather on the sunscreen before any possible sun contact, especially on our children.
But how many of us have researched the safety of those sunscreens?
If you are anything like most people, your decision was based on availability, price and
scent with safety an afterthought. Especially for children, safety needs to be your first
concern.
The reasons for this increase are multi-factorial. Pollution, depletion of the ozone,
unregulated tanning salons and people living longer, all contribute but the biggest factor is
early sun exposure.
UVA/UVB
Ultraviolet-A (UVA) are long-wave solar rays that penetrate the skin more deeply and are
less likely to cause sunburn. UVA cause photo-aging. UVA is believed to exacerbate UVB's
carcinogenic effects.
Ultraviolet-B (UVB) are short-wave solar rays responsible for sunburns. They’re
considered the leading cause of basal and squamous cell skin cancer, and a significant
contributor to melanoma.
Protection requires more than globbing sunscreens or sunblocks onto skin. Sunscreens
don't prevent skin cancer, they can only reduce the risk. If time spent in the sun remains
the same, a person with a 50 percent chance of developing skin cancer will reduce his
risk to only 20 percent with daily use of sunscreen.
Avoiding the sun between 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., when the rays are most powerful, is the best
option for protection against UV rays, dermatologists say.
Overall, there are two basic types of skin cream or lotion protection: sunscreens, which
absorb and deflect (or reflect) the sun's rays via a chemical reaction, and "blocks"—zinc
oxide and titanium dioxide—which create a physical barrier against rays. Most commercial
products offer a combination of the two, but when possible avoid the following
ingredients:
• PABA: 40% of the population is sensitive to it, experiencing red, itchy skin.
• Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate
(octinoxate), Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): These have shown
estrogenic activity in lab tests. They have been shown to disrupt hormones, affecting the
development of the brain (particularly the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal system) and
reproductive organs in laboratory rats.
• Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and
avobenzone): These have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight.
On the skin's surface, these chemicals do protect from UV damage; however, once
absorbed into the skin, these same chemicals can prove destructive. They are excited by
the UV energy which they absorb and become reactive, acquiring the potential to attack
cellular components, including DNA.
Choose Sun Blocks
Zinc oxide, which lies on the skin without being absorbed, is completely safe. Beware of
nanotechnology, a number of animal studies have shown that at least some nanoparticles
can penetrate cells and tissues, migrate through the body and brain and cause biochemical
damage.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has shown phototoxicity (or the capability to damage skin upon
exposure to light), but as a sunscreen appears to be safe, based on what is known so far.
According to current evidence titanium dioxide is much less likely than other chemical
sunscreens to penetrate human skin. Note that on sunscreen labels companies rarely
distinguish between sunscreens and sunblock, and instead use the term "sunscreen" for
both. Look for zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredient when choosing.
Lots of the newer mineral based makeup functions as a sunscreen as well simply because it
is based on Titanium Dioxice.
Protective Clothing
The right clothing can protect against the sun's harmful rays. Sunglasses and wide-brimmed
hats are obvious choices. Claims of sun protectiveness factors, however, are not reliable
here.
So consider these factors when choosing appropriate clothing (most important factors are
listed first):
weave (tighter is best),
color (darker fabrics let less light through than lighter),
weight (the heavier, the better) and
stretch (stretch clothing loses UV protection as the item stretches out).
You'll be well-protected wearing unbleached cotton or high-luster polyester or satiny silk,
which reflect radiation. Clothes made from polyester crepe, bleached cotton or viscose
offer little protection because they are transparent to UV rays.
You can also consider investing in ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing. Clothes
with UPF, which is similar to SPF, are increasing with many lines emerging from Australia.
Coolibar offers fashions from clothing to hats and swimwear. All of Coolibar's clothing is
made to maximize sun protection, with many pieces using microfibers containing titanium
dioxide to diffuse 98% of UV rays.
The Skin Cancer Foundation also endorses SunGuard, a laundry additive made by the
company that makes Rit dyes. The product claims to block 96% of harmful rays, with the
active ingredient being a blocking agent called Tinosorb. SunGuard contains no fragrances
or petrochemicals, but the product is not for children 2 years or under.
One great source of topical product safety information is the Environmental Working
Group. This web site allows you to check on the safety of almost any skin product.
Another site for toxicity information is Scorecard, the pollution information site.
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